The European T20 Premier League (ETPL) completed its first-ever Player Draft in Dublin on 3 July 2025, with the tournament's six franchises finalising their core squads ahead of the competition's maiden season. A total of 36 players were selected — 12 each from Cricket Ireland, Cricket Scotland, and the Royal Dutch Cricket Association (KNCB) — with Irish all-rounder Jai Moondra and veteran Ireland opener Paul Stirling emerging as the marquee picks of the evening.

How the Draft Unfolded

The distribution of talent was broadly even across the six teams, though franchises showed a clear preference for players from their home regions. Amsterdam Flames and Rotterdam Dockers absorbed the bulk of the Dutch contingent, while Edinburgh Castle Rockers and Glasgow Cosmic drafted nine of the twelve available Scottish players. Dublin Guardians and Belfast Wolves together claimed seven of the twelve Irish picks.

The most-discussed move of the evening was Rotterdam Dockers making Jai Moondra their opening selection. The young Irish all-rounder had recently drawn attention with his performances in Ireland's T20I series against India, and the Dockers reinforced their squad further by adding Netherlands internationals Michael Levitt, Ryan Klein, Vikramjit Singh, and Saqib Zulfiqar, alongside Scotland's Jasper Davidson.

Full Squad Selections

Amsterdam Flames: Curtis Campher, Kyle Klein, Tim Pringle, Aryan Dutt, Jordan Neill, Max O'Dowd.
Belfast Wolves: Matthew Humphreys, Fred Klaassen, Tim Tector, Paul Stirling, Zainullah Ihsan, Alexander Roy.
Dublin Guardians: Benjamin Calitz, George Dockrell, Matthew Hollard, Craig Young, Noah Croes, Chris Greaves.
Edinburgh Castle Rockers: Gareth Delany, Ross Adair, Jack Jarvis, Charlie Tear, Safyaan Sharif, Finlay McCreath.
Glasgow Cosmic: Brad Currie, Matthew Cross, Paul van Meekeren, Michael Leask, Oliver Davidson, Chris McBride.
Rotterdam Dockers: Jai Moondra, Michael Levitt, Ryan Klein, Jasper Davidson, Vikramjit Singh, Saqib Zulfiqar.

What the Franchise Owners Said

Dublin Guardians captain and mentor Ravichandran Ashwin outlined a philosophy centred on role clarity over regional loyalty. 'While the majority of our picks were Irish, I think nationality comes second; it's about the quality of the player and how they will fit into our mix. I do believe that, going into an auction or a draft, every single player that you pick must be a playable resource. Of course, there must be an exciting amount of skill that they put on display, but they must be very playable. If a player is unavailable, somebody should be able to seamlessly come in and fill that role,' Ashwin said.

Rotterdam Dockers co-owner Jonty Rhodes confirmed that Moondra had been a priority target from the outset. 'Jai Moondra was someone we were particularly keen to bring into the squad after the way he announced himself on the international stage. He is an exciting young talent with tremendous potential, and we're delighted to have secured him. Alongside Jai, we've put together a really exciting group of players from across Ireland, Scotland, and the Netherlands. We believe we have a strong, balanced squad with the depth and quality to be highly competitive, and we're looking forward to seeing them come together when the league gets underway,' Rhodes said.

Belfast Wolves co-owner Glenn Maxwell described the experience of building a franchise from the ground up as deeply rewarding. 'Incredibly happy with how the draft went. It's a new experience for me to be involved in starting a team from scratch. To go through the risk management process, building a squad and a team that we can put on the park and be really competitive, has been a really great experience. Really happy how the draft went, we were able to get the picks that we needed, the playing skills we needed to give ourselves depth as well,' Maxwell said.

Amsterdam Flames co-owner Steve Waugh noted that holding the first pick in the draft sequence required constant adaptability. 'The first couple of choices were the players we wanted. And we knew after that we would have to think on our feet, improvise, and see what the other teams were going to pick. Being the first choice, there's a big gap between some of the selections. You have to wait and see what goes on in front of you. We were all talking offline to make sure what the next selection is going to be,' Waugh said.

Star-Studded Ownership and What Comes Next

The ETPL's franchise roster is backed by several of cricket's most recognisable figures, including Rahul Dravid, Steve Waugh, Matthew Hayden, Faf du Plessis, Heinrich Klaasen, Glenn Maxwell, and Jonty Rhodes. The high-profile ownership group signals the league's ambitions to establish European franchise cricket as a credible competition on the global calendar. With all six squads now confirmed, attention turns to the ETPL's maiden season, where established internationals will compete alongside emerging talent from Ireland, Scotland, and the Netherlands in what is set to be a landmark chapter for cricket in Europe.