The International Cricket Council (ICC) has formally sanctioned the European T20 Premier League (ETPL) – a new annual T20 franchise tournament that will have Irish involvement.
The event will be held for the first time from 15 July to 3 August with the tournament a partnership between three cricket nations – Ireland, Scotland and the Netherlands.
The tournament has been beset by delays, including due to the Covid-19 pandemic, and in its original guise, three Irish franchise teams were set to participate – the Dublin Daredevils, Cork Rebels and the Belfast Bears.
Details of participants in the newly sanctioned tournament have yet to be confirmed.
For the initial phase of the tournament’s development, an interim working group has been established with representatives from the participating cricket boards as well as strategic partners involved.
Warren Deutrom, chair of the interim working group, said: “We are delighted to confirm the ICC sanction of the ETPL and agreements are now in place across the joint venture partners.
“This is an important day in the development of the event, as it effectively fires the starting pistol on work around three important areas – franchise ownership, broadcast and the player draft.
“A formal launch event for the ETPL will be held in due course to unveil key franchise and fan information, including franchise ownership, names and brands – and details about the players draft, which has become a popular feature of many franchise tournaments.
“I would like to thank staff from Cricket Ireland, Cricket Scotland, Cricket Netherlands and our business partners who have been working tirelessly for the last year to bring this tournament to fruition.
“These are exciting times for cricket in Europe, and for local cricket fans, as we showcase some of the best cricket talent from Europe and around the world.”