R Ashwin joins Dublin Guardians as captain and mentor

Former India offspinner R Ashwin will be part of Dublin Guardians for the inaugural edition of the European T20 Premier League (ETPL), adding another marquee name to the ambitious six-team competition that is set to get underway later this year. The 39-year-old is among the tournament's direct signings and will take on the dual role of captain and mentor for the Dublin-based franchise, which is owned by former India captain and T20 World Cup-winning coach Rahul Dravid.

Ashwin, who retired from the IPL at the end of the 2025 season but continues to feature in franchise cricket with San Francisco Unicorns in Major League Cricket, joins an expanding roster of international stars ahead of the league's player draft on July 2.

The ETPL, jointly backed by Cricket Ireland, Cricket Scotland and the Royal Dutch Cricket Association, is Europe's first ICC-sanctioned multi-country franchise T20 league. The competition, which will take place from August 26 to September 20, will feature six teams based in cities: the Dublin Guardians, Amsterdam Flames, Rotterdam Dockers, Belfast Irish Wolves, Edinburgh Castle Rockers, and Glasgow Cosmics. Matches will be played in Ireland, Scotland, and the Netherlands.

Ashwin joins a star-studded list of direct signings already announced by the league. Faf du Plessis will captain Rotterdam, a franchise he also co-owns with Heinrich Klaasen and Jonty Rhodes, with Donovan Ferreira, Anrich Nortje and Mitchell Owen also part of the squad. Amsterdam have secured Mitchell Marsh, Steven Smith, Michael Bracewell and Dutch internationals Scott Edwards and Bas de Leede.

Glasgow, meanwhile, have signed Lungi Ngidi, Keshav Maharaj, Duan Jansen and explosive New Zealand opener Finn Allen. Mitchell Santner will captain Edinburgh, where he will reunite with fellow New Zealander Trent Boult, while Glenn Maxwell has been named captain of Belfast. Another well-known direct signing for the league is Tim David.

The league, co-owned by Bollywood star Abhishek Bachchan, includes Matthew Hayden (co-owner and head coach of Glasgow) and James Foster (head coach Edinburgh) in coaching roles. The ownership group across the ETPL is equally decorated, with Dravid joined by Steve Waugh (Amsterdam), Maxwell (Belfast), Kyle Mills & Nathan McCullum (Edinburgh) and the South African trio of Du Plessis, Klaasen and Jonty Rhodes along with Bollywood star John Abraham (Rotterdam) as the franchise owners.

The remaining squad spots will be filled through the draft scheduled for Thursday, July 2, before the league gets underway later this summer, with organisers hoping the competition provides a strong platform for emerging talent from Ireland, Scotland and the Netherlands to rub shoulders with some of the biggest names in the T20 game.