European T20 League (ETPL) is currently the talk of the cricket world. Veteran Indian spinner Ravichandran Ashwin is also going to be seen in this new franchise based cricket league. Dublin Guardians has made Ashwin its captain and mentor. There are total 6 franchises in ETPL. Ashwin has said that T20 franchise leagues like ETPL will play an important role in making cricket a serious global sport in the Olympics.

Olympics are to be held in Los Angeles, America in 2028, in which cricket is making a comeback, in view of which Ashwin, the second most successful bowler in the history of India’s Test cricket, believes that ETPL will play an important role in the expansion of cricket.

Cricket will become global only through T20 – Ashwin

Ashwin says that T20 format is the most effective medium to take cricket to maximum countries of the world. He said, ‘Olympics are to be held in a few years and if cricket truly wants to become a global sport, then teams from such leagues will make an important contribution in it. Our entire focus will be on T20 cricket and making it better. If cricket is to become a global sport and a successful Olympic sport, then the shorter format is most practical.

He further said, ‘For this reason T20 cricket will continue to expand. This will also increase the scope of players, which is very important for the different leagues organized throughout the year. T20 cricket is here to stay for a long time. I can’t say this about ODI cricket.

‘Contribute to the development of Irish cricket also’

Ashwin said that his franchise does not want to limit itself to just performing well in the tournament but also wants to contribute to the development of cricket in Ireland. He said, ‘Our endeavor will be to create a strong team, provide a better environment to the players and leave a lasting impact on this tournament. It is our responsibility towards the Dublin franchise and Irish cricket to provide proper opportunities and better experience to the players there.

According to Ashwin, the biggest objective of this league is to give a platform to the players of Scotland, Ireland and Netherlands to showcase their talent in high level competition. He said, ‘We want this league to develop around those players. Rahul Dravid and I had agreed on this thinking from the beginning. We want to develop a culture where every player grows by learning something new every day.