Jonty Rhodes, co-owner of the ETPL's Rotterdam franchise with Faf du Plessis and Heinrich Klaasen, believes the T20 World Cup success of non-Test nations will boost the new league's appeal, providing a platform for associate players to grow.
Former South African cricketer Jonty Rhodes said that the inaugural season of the European T20 Premier League (ETPL) will be received with more fanfare following some fine performances from non-Test playing nations in this year's T20 World Cup co-hosted by India and Sri Lanka.
Jonty, one of the finest cricketers of his era best known for his exceptional fielding, is on board with the ETPL as the co-owner of its Rotterdam franchise alongside fellow South African cricket stars Heinrich Klaasen and Faf du Plessis, with Madhukhar Shree as a managing partner. ETPL is Europe's first ICC-sanctioned T20 league. Rotterdam franchise, based in Netherlands, will compete in the inaugural season, 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.
'Everyone Loves an Underdog'
In the recent T20 World Cup, various associate, non-Test playing nations, like US, Nepal, Netherlands, debutants Italy, Scotland etc produced some notable performances. The Netherlands, in particular, while it could not progress beyond group stage, had close encounters with Asian giants, India and Pakistan. In the 2022 T20 World Cup, they had produced an upset by beating one of South Africa's strongest T20 units. Speaking to ANI on if perfomances of these associate nations will help ETPL get more eyes, he agreed, saying that "everybody loves the underdog" and Indian fans in particular will appreciate the uniqueness of this competition, giving spotlight and opportunities to more lesser-known players.
"Everyone loves the underdog. So, the fact that Italy did well in the T20 World Cup, Ireland, Netherlands and Scotland also had some fine performances in the recent T20 World Cup, now suddenly people are talking about them. And we know in India, when there is so much cricket going on in India, you think, well, surely another league, where does it fit in? But Indians love something that is unique and different. I mean, people have loved me from 1992 because I did things slightly differently," he said.
Jonty said that most of the time, associate nations play big ICC tournaments as underdogs and their performances in the recently T20 WC caught everyone's attention, bringing names like Shadley van Schalkwyk (US), Bas de Leede (Netherlands), Ben Maneti (Italy), Crishun Kalugamage (Italy), Deepindra Singh Airee (Nepal), among others to the forefront. ETPL aims at keeping some of Europe's best in the public eye even after the World Cups and give them a chance to develop.
"It (the T20 World Cup) was exciting because the names that no one had ever heard of before were suddenly brought to the fore. And now we want to track their progress. So I think it was a huge start, but the ETPL is going to be the platform that allows them to grow their game. And, you know, you just see them every T20 World Cup and that is it, then they disappear. So here is an opportunity for them to be seen again in another avatar, you know, so, and just to be reinforced, the names to be reinforced, as opposed to just kind of once-off mentioned and then we do not see them again," he said.
Star-Studded Ownership and South African Focus
The Rotterdam announcement adds to an already star-studded ownership landscape across the league. The Amsterdam franchise is backed by Aussie cricketing icon Steve Waugh and hockey legend Jamie Dwyer. Belfast is co-owned by another Aussie in all-rounder Glenn Maxwell, while Edinburgh is backed by former New Zealand players Kyle Mills and Nathan McCullum. Glasgow is co-owned by West Indies icon Chris Gayle. Jonty, Faf and Klaasen co-owning the team was motivated by Jonty's own desire for ownership and bringing some South African presence to the league.
"I have been a player, I've been a coach and never been a co-owner before. So, this is something new and exciting for me. Madhukar Shree, one of the co-owners, he and I have worked together since 2020 in the commercial side of cricket. And we have spoken about how do we get involved with a franchise and not just as an employee or someone working for the franchise," he said.
"And this was an opportunity for us to get in at the early stage as co-owners. So, Madhukar and I have, because the first three teams that were announced, Steve Waugh, Glenn Maxwell, Kyle Mills and the McCullums, it was very Australia, New Zealand," he added.
The idea behind roping in Faf, who is in his early 40s and still going strong in T20S, and another T20 circuit star in Klaasen, who retired last year from international cricket, was to have them as players and also give them some equity and ownership in their team besides being players.
"So, we thought, okay, let us bring in a very South African focus here with our players. And that straight away, Faf Du Plessis was the one guy. He is not at the end of his career currently, but he is certainly in probably two years away from retiring as an active player. I mean, he really is fit. He's still in great form. But we were thinking about if we can entice him away and bring him into our setup, you know, then once he is finished playing, he can come into, you know, a different role within the organization when he's a co-owner and he has equity and a stake in the team itself," he said.
"And the same thing was with Klaasen. You know, he is the highest retained international player (for Sunrisers Hyderabad in IPL). We wanted him to play in our team. And again, with some equity being offered as a part of his payment structure. Faf is in a slightly different position as a captain, as a player and a co-owner. I am a co-owner and I'm stepping far away from the playing, the structure, the coaching side of things and letting the guys just do their own thing," he concluded.
How ETPL Aims to Boost European Cricket
Speaking on how the new franchise could help in the improvement of Netherlands cricket, Jonty said that while Netherlands is quite a competitive side, their base has not grown enough due to a lack of highly competitive cricket between the World Cup and the franchise, ETPL wants to erase that gap via some quality cricket and training.
"The big thing is how much cricket they play. And South Africans, we know, to our detriment, we know the results of the Netherlands, they have beaten South Africa (in the 2022 T20 World Cup and 2023 Cricket World Cup). So, they are a team that competes well in T20s. But the base is not growing enough, just because of the lack of highly competitive cricket throughout the season. So you cannot just wait for World Cups," he said.
"And I think that is the difference that the ETPL is going to create. It is going to create this platform where younger players get an opportunity to play high-level cricket, to work with international stars and also international coaches, which is so important for the growth of the game. So that is what the ETPL is going to do."
"And not just in the Netherlands, in Scotland and Ireland too. It is going to provide that layer below the international level, where it is not such a big jump. I think we have seen that with these, like the Netherlands team, when all 11 players are fit and they can pick them, they are very competitive. But should there be an injury or, you know, an inability to be selected two or three players, suddenly those young players coming in to fill the gap, there is a big jump from what they are accustomed to, to international cricket."
"So we want the ETPL to do that, be the platform that provides high-intensity cricket and not just in that four-week window, but give the players time to come into South Africa, come to India for coaching, for training, with our squad members, with our coaches and that to make a difference in that way, to make a difference. And not just in those four weeks of the ETPL, but ensuring that we have the ability for players to learn and keep growing throughout the year," he continued.
Klaasen's Form and the Need for a Breather
Jonty also spoke on Klaasen's rich vein of form in the ongoing IPL season with SRH, which he attributes to a lighter schedule away from intensity and hectic nature of international cricket. Klaasen is currently among IPL 2026's top run-getters with 414 runs in nine innings, at an average of 59.14 and a strike rate of 157.14, including four fifties. Having retired from international cricket last year, Klaasen continues to enjoy popularity and success in T20 circuit. Jonty spoke about how proper time away from the game and spending time with family, healing himself physically, mentally and emotionally is letting Klaasen perform so well.
"If you look at his form in T20 cricket, maybe he has got that sort of form because he is enjoying, you know, the less pressure. You play international cricket, there is no downtime," he said.
Jonty recalled conversations leading upto acquisition of the Rotterdam franchise with Faf, which were about players needing some time away from international cricket, which runs on an intense, all-format schedule, with an ICC event every year.
"So I think from that perspective, yes, maybe he is playing with such incredible freedom because he does not have to play international cricket. We saw Quinton de Kock come and retire, then come back into the international game and still perform well. But giving players a gap and a breather is what they need emotionally and mentally more than the physical side," he said.
"Klaasen is getting that downtime, he has time with his family, which is important," he added.
With a home Cricket World Cup in South Africa next year, co-hosted by Zimbabwe and Namibia, the Proteas aim to break the jinx in limited-overs cricket after years of making it to the finals/semifinals of ICC T20 and 50-over World Cups after winning the ICC World Test Championship last year. Most recently, they made it to the T20 World Cup semifinals this year, losing to New Zealand. On what boxes Proteas needed to tick, Jonty had a simple answer, "Get to the final and win it. That is it. As simple as that." (ANI)
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by Asianet Newsable English staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)