Dublin [Ireland], July 29 (ANI): The countdown to a new era for European cricket has officially begun. The European T20 Premier League (ETPL) on Tuesday unveiled the fixtures for its inaugural season, with Europe's first major franchise T20 league set to take centre stage from 26 August to 20 September 2026, across two iconic venues: Voorburg Cricket Club in the Netherlands and Malahide Cricket Club in Ireland.

The inaugural season of the ETPL, led by Abhishek Bachchan, will get underway with a blockbuster opening clash at Voorburg Cricket Club in The Hague as Jonty Rhodes, Faf du Plessis, Heinrich Klaasen and John Abraham's Rotterdam Dockers take on Steve Waugh and Jamie Dwyer's Amsterdam Flames in the tournament opener, according to a press release from ETPL.

Voorburg will host the opening phase of the competition before the action shifts to Malahide (Dublin, Ireland) for the remainder of the league stage. Dublin will also host the Qualifier and the inaugural Final, where the first ETPL champions will be crowned.

Jonty Rhodes, Co-Owner, Rotterdam Dockers said, 'It is a privilege to open the inaugural ETPL season. We can't wait to bring Rotterdam's passion and spirit onto the field and share this historic moment with our home fans.'

Steve Waugh, Co-Owner, Amsterdam Flames, said, 'The opening match is a fantastic opportunity to introduce Amsterdam Flames and the brand of cricket we want to play. We're proud to be part of this exciting new chapter for European cricket and look forward to getting underway.'

Over 26 days and 32 matches, six teams from across Europe will compete for the league's first-ever title, bringing together some of the biggest names in world cricket alongside Europe's finest homegrown talent.

Global stars including Tim David, Steve Smith, Ravichandran Ashwin, Faf du Plessis, Glenn Maxwell, Heinrich Klaasen, Mitchell Marsh, Lungi Ngidi and Trent Boult will share the stage with leading European players such as Paul Stirling, Scott Edwards, Josh Little, Jai Moondra, George Dockrell, Aryan Dutt, Max O'Dowd, Richie Berrington and Matthew Cross, creating one of the most exciting player line-ups ever assembled in European cricket.

The second match of the tournament, on 27 August, will see Rahul Dravid support his Dublin Guardians, led by Ravichandran Ashwin, as they face off against Glenn Maxwell's Belfast Wolves.

Rahul Dravid, Co-Owner, Dublin Guardians, said, 'Representing Dublin in Europe's newest franchise T20 league is exciting. We look forward to an exciting inaugural season and to building something the city and its fans can be proud of.'

Matthew Hayden, Co-Owner, Glasgow Cosmic said, 'The ETPL marks a landmark moment for Scottish cricket, and Glasgow Cosmic is proud to be part of this journey. We look forward to making our mark from the very first ball.'

Each franchise will play every other team twice in a round-robin format. The team finishing at the top of the league table will qualify directly for the Final, while the second and third-placed teams will contest the Qualifier for the remaining place in the championship decider.

Dhiraj Malhotra, Co-Founder, European T20 Premier League, said, 'The release of the fixtures marks another significant milestone in the journey towards our inaugural season. In just 29 days, Europe will witness the launch of its own franchise T20 league. We can't wait for the first ball to be bowled and for ETPL to begin creating its own history.'

Warren Deutrom, ETPL Board Director, said, 'With the fixtures now confirmed and tickets going on sale later this week, the excitement is building for ETPL's inaugural season. We look forward to welcoming fans to a month of world-class cricket, where Europe's finest talent will share the stage with some of the biggest names in world cricket.' (ANI)