The European T20 Premier League begins on August 26, 2026, with matches running through September 20 across venues in the Netherlands and Ireland. The inaugural season features six franchises competing in a tournament sanctioned by the International Cricket Council and jointly organised by Cricket Ireland, Cricket Scotland and the Royal Dutch Cricket Association. Glenn Maxwell leads the Belfast Wolves as captain and co-owner, one of the foundation franchises announced on January 21, 2026.
Maxwell has outlined his vision for the Belfast Wolves' role in the broader development of cricket on the continent. The Australian batter emphasised the franchise's commitment to the sport's growth across Europe, signalling that the team views its participation in the ETPL as part of a larger mission beyond domestic competition.
"Incredibly happy with how the draft went for the Belfast Wolves. It was a new experience for me to be involved that heavily, starting a team from scratch and going through the list management process. Building a squad from the ground up is not easy, but we had a clear plan. We wanted to put together a team that could compete from day one. The process of picking players, balancing the squad, and making sure we had cover in every department was a great learning experience," said Maxwell to ETPL.
Maxwell on the Belfast Wolves' draft and squad building
The Belfast Wolves drafted Matthew Humphreys, Fred Klaassen, Tim Tector, Zainullah Ihsan and Alexander Roy during the squad assembly process. Maxwell expressed satisfaction with how the team was constructed from the ground up, describing the experience of building a franchise as a significant learning opportunity.
"We are extremely happy with the way the draft went. We were able to get the picks we needed and the playing skills we needed to complete our list. We have good depth in both batting and bowling, which will be crucial in a long tournament. Overall, we feel we have built a strong and balanced side for the Wolves," said Maxwell.
The opening match of the ETPL takes place on August 26 at Voorburg Cricket Club in The Hague, featuring Rotterdam Dockers against Amsterdam Flames. The following day, on August 27, the Belfast Wolves face Dublin Guardians, led by captain and mentor Ravichandran Ashwin, who works alongside co-owner Rahul Dravid in the Dublin franchise.
"Me and Rahul Dravid bhai have shared a great bond over the last five years. He has been the coach of India, and I learned a lot about leadership while playing under him. In fact, I captained him in a club championship final in Chennai about 13 years ago. Now, we will be working together again this time around for the Dublin Guardians. I think he also got to understand my game better over time and we share a very special rapport," said Ashwin.
"We are building a close-knit team that believes in growth and improvement every single day. Our second connection is Irish cricket and the European circuit, which excites us a lot. We see huge potential there and want to be collaborative. We know there is a strong cricketing culture in Ireland, and we want to embrace it and contribute wherever we can. It was a bit unfortunate that the Irish players were picked early in the draft, otherwise we would have gone for a couple more. But we are very serious about making a difference and contributing to Irish cricket," he added.