To “align with one of the best T20 leagues in the world”, build something “that is very South African”, and get a chance to “grow European cricket” were some of the reasons Faf du Plessis chose to co-own a team at the European T20 Premier League (ETPL), which will debut in the cricket calendar in August this year. Du Plessis, along with Jonty Rhodes and Heinrich Klaasen, have formed a consortium to acquire the Rotterdam franchise in the six-team league, a 33-game tournament to run from August 26 to September 20 in Ireland, Scotland and the Netherlands.
Du Plessis and Klaasen will not just co-own the team but will also play for it, with du Plessis the captain.
“For me, the entry point was there’s obviously a lot of leagues around the world, and as someone like myself, who is called a circuit player, as someone that can play in different leagues around the world, you want to make sure you align with the ones that are the best,” du Plessis said. “This really excited me around the opportunity of being part of something and growing something in a league that’s starting fresh, in a tournament that’s starting new, and then building something that is very South African.
“I want to use the experience that I’ve picked up around the world in terms of all the different leagues and just bringing that to build a team that’s part of a tournament that’s hopefully very successful and that can grow European cricket.”
Rotterdam became the fifth ETPL franchise to be sold after Amsterdam (backed by Steve Waugh), Belfast (co-owned by Glenn Maxwell), Edinburgh (backed by Kyle Mills and Nathan McCullum) and Glasgow (co-owned by Chris Gayle). Dublin is the sixth team in the tournament.
Rhodes, who has seen the growth of European cricket first-hand, having served as the Sweden national coach in late 2020 and also having seen “the hunger for the game” in Germany, Italy, and France, said that he wanted to help build an ecosystem with a dash of South African flavour.
“We saw the announcement of the first three teams, and there was a big Australian and New Zealand focus. So we’ve kind of come in now with a big South African focus as well, just to add a little bit of a needle in some of the games that we’re going to be playing against the Aussies and the Kiwis,” Rhodes said. “It’s not just a four-week period, but how can we have a positive impact on cricket, not just in Rotterdam with our franchise, but Europe as a whole. So that’s a huge focus for us as a franchise.
“Rotterdam is the gateway to Europe. So anything that’s coming in and out of Europe actually comes through Rotterdam. It’s a real mix of cultures.”
The likes of Steven Smith, Mitchell Santner, Mitchell Marsh and Scott Edwards are already pencilled in for the ETPL, while there are talks ongoing with Tim David to take part. With a solid list of international stars already locked in, for Klaasen, it was a “no-brainer” when the opportunity arose to co-own a franchise.
“It was not a difficult decision. It was a brief discussion between me and my agent. We had a look at the names that were involved in this league, and it was a no-brainer to get involved,” Klaasen told ESPNcricinfo. “The names are massive and I would have regretted it five years down the line, if it had been a big success and I gave up on this opportunity.
“If you look at the way T20 cricket competitions around the world are going, there’s obviously a huge benefit to do it. And especially with the people and the names that’s behind this whole thing financially, it just makes sense. So it was an easy business decision.”
Klaasen is a freelance cricketer now, having announced his retirement from international cricket last year to focus on a future with T20 leagues. The ETPL not only gives him a chance to travel and play cricket in a region where he hasn’t been to much, but also “grow and expose this game to as many people and fans around the world”.
“I’ve never really played cricket in Europe. I think I’ve played two games in Ireland. The rest is normally just UK cricket,” he said. “So I’m looking forward to that challenge. It’s definitely a new place. I haven’t had a holiday there or anything like that. So it’s a completely new place that cricket can take me to.”
While, as a concept, the ETPL will arouse curiosity, the challenge for the franchises will be to sustain the competition in a region where cricket isn’t the sport of choice. Netherlands, Scotland and Ireland have a sizeable fanbase, but it is still small when compared to England or South Africa, forget Asia.
“You really have to make sure it’s an A-team product,” du Plessis said. “You invest well in the product, so it’s a strong product. If you do that, people will then come and say: ‘What’s all the fuss about; why is there music playing at the stadium? Let me go and check some of the superstars playing. Let me take my family. Let me take my kids.’ And eventually, you grow the whole package.
“The responsibility in the league and on all the teams is to make sure that they can grow the pipeline, they can implement the pathway systems to make sure that it’s not just three weeks or four weeks of the year and then it’s out. There’s a lot of stakeholders, and we are included in that, to make sure that we can do a little bit more than just come in and out of a tournament, because the growth of the tournament will be slow then.”
It will also be unique because franchise owners such as Maxwell, du Plessis and Klaasen will also be playing. But if successful, it could set a template for many current and ex-cricketers to invest in future cricket leagues and “grow not just the players, but the entire ecosystem”.
