Ajinkya Rahane joins ETPL; Steve Waugh's call sealed the marquee deal

Former Indian captain Ajinkya Rahane has joined Amsterdam Flames as a marquee player for the inaugural European T20 Premier League. He aims to share his global experience after a call from Steve Waugh, seeing it as a great opportunity post-retirement.

Former Indian cricketer Ajinkya Rahane, unveiled as the marquee signing by Amsterdam Flames for the inaugural European T20 Premier League (ETPL), expressed that his desire to take his experience to a global level made him come on board with the franchise as a player.

Amsterdam Flames on Friday announced the signing of former India captain Ajinkya Rahane as the franchise's marquee player for the inaugural edition of the European T20 Premier League (ETPL), bringing one of world cricket's most respected leaders to a competition set to play a defining role in the continued growth of the game across Europe.

A Global Opportunity Spurred by Steve Waugh

Speaking to ANI about his signing with the franchise, Rahane spoke of admiration for the franchise's co-owner and legendary Australian skipper Steve Waugh. It was a call from the former Aussie batter after his international retirement which opened the doors to the possibility of Rahane joining the ETPL. After taking some time to think over the decision, the 38-year-old realised that ETPL was a great platform for him to take his 15 years of international experience to the global level.

"It is a great opportunity for me to be part of the ETPL. Recently--I mean, everyone knows I have announced my retirement--and within, I think, just five minutes, Steve Waugh called me. Knowing Steve for many years now--I mean, I have met him several times; I grew up watching him, his game, and his leadership style, and I admired him every single time--so when he called me about this opportunity, I was obviously in a different mindset because I had just announced my retirement," he said.

"I told him, 'Just give me a day to think about this, think through this, and then probably we can talk the next day.' So, we connected the next day, and I thought this was a great opportunity for me to be a part of the ETPL. I've played my cricket for so many years in different formats--played for India for almost 15 years, played IPL for 19 years since the beginning--so I thought, with the amount of experience I have, this is a great opportunity for me to go global."

"I want to share my experience and share my knowledge about the game. I did not want to keep it in a smaller way; I thought if I could just share it globally and try and see if that benefits the other players, it will be really great," he concluded his point.

Inaugural European T20 Premier League Details

ETPL is Europe's first ICC-sanctioned T20 league. The first season is scheduled from August 26 to September 20, 2026. Across 33 matches, six city-based franchises, Glasgow, Amsterdam, Edinburgh, Dublin, Belfast, and Rotterdam will vie for honours in what marks a watershed moment for the European cricket scene.

On European Cricket's Growing Potential

Speaking on the talent and marketing potential for the sport in Europe, Rahane noted that while England over the years stood tall among European nations over the years in international cricket, the performances of Ireland and the Netherlands over the years and most recently of Italy in this year's T20 World Cup (defeating Nepal by 10 wickets and falling 24 runs short of a 203-run chase against England) have been encouraging.

The former batter also said that whenever he has played with Ireland and Netherlands teams, they have come across as "hungry to win and learn", "passionate" and "positive". Most recently, Ireland made history by beating India, the reigning world champions in T20Is, by 0-2 in a T20I series after the IPL.

"I think for the European market, we always talk about only, I think, probably England--but you see Ireland's performance against India, the series they have won. Ireland in the ICC events, Netherlands in the ICC events--I think Italy was in the World Cup as well--so there are players, and there are teams which are now looking to do really well. Whenever I played with Ireland and Netherlands, they have always, every single time, looked like a different unit in a positive way; always hungry to win, always hungry to learn, and very passionate about the game. They play as a unit," he said.

The batting veteran feels that ETPL could serve as a great platform for the European cricketers and open the doors to IPL, the world's most popular, competitive and richest franchise league, to the talent.

"I think this is a great opportunity and a great platform for all the European players to showcase their talent. You never know when the door will open. Probably the IPL owners, other league scouts, or IPL scouts are watching. If they find a very good player, that opportunity might open for anyone. So, this is a great platform for all the players in the ETPL," he said.

Importance of Exposure and Netherlands' Rise

He also noted the improvement the Netherlands have been making in limited-overs cricket, making it to the Super 12 in the T20 World Cup 2022 and also delivering promising performances in subsequent T20 WCs and the 2023 50-over World Cup. They have also secured wins over South Africa in both T20 (2022 edition) and ODI WCs (2023 edition), with the former knocking the Proteas out of the competition.

Rahane noted the importance of exposure for players from non-Test-playing nations and how it can raise confidence, saying, "We always watch them during ICC events, but apart from that, they have been playing a lot of matches. Their players have been playing in other leagues as well.

"Exposure is very important for all the players to get that experience. Also, when you get that exposure, as a player, you become really confident. Even if you do not do well, it is always about going out there, getting an opportunity, and getting the exposure to do well for your team; that gives you that confidence and also gives you that belief that you can actually do really well."

"So, the Netherlands, as you rightly mentioned, has been doing well. They are improving as a team. I think the reason for that is only because their players are more confident, playing with other experienced players and playing in other leagues as well," he continued.

Rahane's Role in a Fast-Growing T20 World

Rahane acknowledged the fast-growing format that the T20s are becoming and how it presents immense opportunities for players. In this environment, after his international retirement, Rahane is still passionate about going out and playing the sport and contributing through his experience at a global level.

"I think T20 is growing fast; we all know that. This format is growing really fast. The opportunity for everyone as a player is immense. I think my responsibility here--why I'm playing this league--is because I am still passionate about the game. I still want to play cricket, and I still want to contribute. I think contributing in a bigger way is really important," he said.

"For every single player, they are looking to play the biggest league in the world, which is the IPL, right? So, I think all these leagues provide you with that platform to go out there and play with freedom--play fearless cricket with a fearless mindset. So, I think the T20 format and franchise cricket are moving rapidly. My responsibility here is to share that knowledge and share that experience with all the players to create that impact," he signed off. (ANI)

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