Bollywood-Backed Euro T20 Premier League Postponed Until 2026

Abhishek Bachchan’s Cricket Venture Put on Ice as Investors Focus on The Hundred

Cricket fans across Europe hoping for a summer of sixes, city rivalries, and Bollywood-backed spectacle will have to wait a little longer. The much-anticipated Euro T20 Premier League (ETPL), originally scheduled to launch in July 2025, has officially been shelved until 2026, with organisers citing a change in investor priorities as the driving force behind the delay.

Backed in part by Indian movie star Abhishek Bachchan, the six-team franchise league promised to bring high-octane cricket to cities across Ireland, Scotland, and the Netherlands. But despite the glitz and glamour that came with its January unveiling, the competition is now the latest in a line of ambitious European cricket projects to stall before even a ball has been bowled.

Focus Shifts from Europe to England

According to multiple sources familiar with the inner workings of the ETPL, three of the tournament’s potential franchise owners have redirected their attention to more immediate opportunities—namely, acquiring stakes in teams in The Hundred, the ECB’s own franchise competition that continues to reshape the landscape of English cricket.

While deals for those Hundred franchises are close to completion, the timeline has shifted. The ECB extended its deadline for finalising team sales earlier this year, which has had a direct knock-on effect for the Euro T20 Premier League. With several key investors now tied up in those negotiations, ETPL organisers have made the pragmatic decision to delay the launch of the tournament by a full calendar year.

A formal announcement confirming the postponement is expected within days.

A Summer Without the European Showcase

European T20 Premier League: Franchise tournament in Ireland, Scotland and the Netherlands will be postponed

The ETPL was originally due to run from 15 July to 3 August, taking advantage of a summer window that would avoid clashing with major international fixtures. The tournament aimed to showcase emerging European talent while also attracting global stars—mirroring the IPL or The Hundred but with a distinctively continental twist.

The cities lined up to host matches—Dublin, Belfast, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Amsterdam, and Rotterdam—were to be the epicentres of a new cricket movement, one built around glitzy franchises, player drafts, and fan-first entertainment.

“Elevating local talent, drawing global superstars, and igniting a wave of cricketing enthusiasm across Europe,” read the official mission statement when the league was launched with considerable fanfare earlier this year.

But now, for a second time in recent memory, those lofty ambitions have been left waiting.

Déjà Vu for European Cricket

The ETPL’s postponement brings to mind the ill-fated Euro T20 Slam, a similarly structured competition that was planned back in 2019 by the cricket boards of Ireland, Scotland, and the Netherlands. That tournament, which had marquee names like Eoin Morgan attached, collapsed just two weeks before it was due to begin—despite holding a player draft and announcing team identities.

Subsequent attempts to resurrect the Euro T20 Slam fell flat due to logistical challenges, financial uncertainty, and of course, the disruption caused by the global pandemic. It was quietly shelved after years of delays.

Organisers of the ETPL have been keen to distance themselves from that doomed venture, stressing that the current project is more robust, more professionally backed, and better timed to align with growing interest in short-format cricket across Europe.

Even so, the optics of another postponement will do little to ease scepticism among fans and stakeholders who have seen this movie before.

Bollywood Star’s Involvement Raised Hopes

One of the key talking points around the ETPL was the involvement of Abhishek Bachchan, a Bollywood actor and film producer with a known passion for sport. Bachchan, 49, is part-owner of the league via Rules Sport Tech, an Indian company that focuses on launching high-quality sports events and competitions.

In March, Bachchan was in Dublin, promoting the tournament through press engagements and social media posts. His presence was seen as a sign that the league meant business—bringing glamour and potential commercial pull to a part of the cricketing world often left out of the T20 conversation.

While Bachchan has yet to publicly comment on the postponement, insiders suggest he remains committed to the project and hopeful that the ETPL can launch successfully in 2026, once investor commitments in The Hundred are resolved.

Organisers Still Confident Despite Setback

Although no franchises have officially been sold, talks have reportedly progressed well with multiple ownership groups. Three of the six city-based franchises were said to be on the verge of signing off on deals before the pause button was hit.

In a media environment where T20 leagues continue to sprout up around the globe—Major League Cricket in the USA, the ILT20 in the UAE, SA20 in South Africa—the organisers of the ETPL believe there’s still a strong market for a European offering.

Officials from Cricket Ireland, Cricket Scotland, and the Royal Dutch Cricket Association have all declined to comment at this stage. But privately, sources close to the project say they remain “buoyant” about its long-term prospects.

Is There Still Room for a European T20 League?

With The Hundred now opening its doors to private investment and expanding its brand reach, the cricket landscape in Europe is increasingly crowded. The success of any new league will depend on securing top-level talent, TV rights, and fan engagement—all of which require significant upfront investment.

Yet there’s still a sense of untapped potential in the European market, where the game is growing steadily, albeit outside the traditional strongholds. The idea of a T20 tournament rooted in cities like Rotterdam and Edinburgh is novel—and if executed well, could capture a new generation of fans.

But for now, that vision remains just that: a vision. One that will need another year of planning, persuasion, and patience before it becomes reality.

The Waiting Game Begins

The postponement of the Bollywood-backed Euro T20 Premier League may feel like a setback, but it hasn’t killed the dream. Organisers are playing the long game, and with the right mix of investment, structure, and support, the ETPL might yet light up the European summer in 2026.

Until then, fans of the short format in Ireland, Scotland, and the Netherlands will have to make do with domestic offerings—and wait a little longer for their own slice of T20 glamour.