// Workers AI · dad joke modeWhat did the Rotterdam Dockers ship say? "Dock" and roll with it.
 | ||
| Nickname | The Dockers | |
|---|---|---|
| League | European T20 Premier League | |
| Personnel | ||
| Captain | Faf du Plessis | |
| Coach | Adrian Birrell | |
| Owner | Faf du Plessis, Jonty Rhodes, Heinrich Klaasen, John Abraham | |
| Team information | ||
| City | Rotterdam, Netherlands | |
| Colours | Forest Green, Orange, White | |
| Founded | April 30, 2026 | |
| History | ||
| ETPL wins | 0 | |
| Official website | rotterdamdockers | |
| ||
 2026 Rotterdam Dockers season | ||
The Rotterdam Dockers are a professional Twenty20 franchise cricket team based in Rotterdam, Netherlands.[1][2] They compete in the European T20 Premier League (ETPL).[3][4]
The team was announced as one of the inaugural franchises of the ETPL in 2026 and represents the city of Rotterdam in the competition.[5][6] The Dockers are owned by a consortium led by former South African international cricketers Faf du Plessis, Jonty Rhodes and Heinrich Klaasen.[6] The team is coached by Adrian Birrell and is captained by Faf du Plessis.[7]
History
[edit]Formation and ownership
[edit]The franchise was announced on 30 April 2026 as the Rotterdam-based team of the ETPL.[6] The Dockers are owned by a consortium led by former South African international cricketers Faf du Plessis, Jonty Rhodes and Heinrich Klaasen.[8] The ownership group later expanded with the addition of Indian actor and sports entrepreneur John Abraham as a co-owner ahead of the inaugural ETPL season.[9]
The franchise represents the city of Rotterdam, one of the Netherlands' largest cities and home to one of Europe's busiest ports. The team name "Dockers" reflects the city's maritime heritage and connection with the port industry.[7] Former South African captain Faf du Plessis was appointed as the team's captain and became the leading figure of the franchise's sporting project.[6] The ownership group stated that the Dockers would focus on combining international experience with the development of Dutch and European cricket talent.
2026: Inaugural season
[edit]The Dockers quickly assembled a strong squad ahead of the inaugural 2026 season, appointing South African veteran Faf du Plessis as captain and signing explosive wicketkeeper-batter Heinrich Klaasen alongside fellow South African fast bowler Anrich Nortje. Australian wicketkeeper-batter Ben McDermott and all-rounder Mitchell Owen, Welsh batter Aneurin Donald, and Namibian all-rounder David Wiese were also brought in.[10] Dutch internationals Logan van Beek, Roelof van der Merwe, Michael Levitt, Ryan Klein, Vikramjit Singh, and Saqib Zulfiqar, along with Italian all-rounder Ben Manenti, American all-rounder Shubham Ranjane, Irish bowler Jai Moondra, and Scottish bowler Jasper Davidson, completed the squad. Nepalese leg-spinner Sandeep Lamichhane was also signed.[11]
Ahead of the inaugural season opener, the team announced it would be led by South African Faf du Plessis and coached by Adrian Birrell.
Rotterdam began their inaugural ETPL campaign with a 5-wicket over Amsterdam Flames[12][13] a no-result against Belfast Wolves due to rain[14] a 5-wicket win over Glasgow Cosmic[15] a 7-wicket win over Dublin Guardians[16] a 55-runs defeat to Edinburgh Castle Rockers[17] a 8-wicket defeat to Amsterdam Flames[18]
The ETPL is heading to Malahide Cricket Ground in Malahide, Ireland and the second half is ready to begin.[19] a 31-runs win over Glasgow Cosmic[20] a 7-wicket win over Belfast Wolves[21] a 5-runs win over Edinburgh Castle Rockers[22] Rotterdam completed their league campaign with a 5-wicket defeat to Dublin Guardians.[23] The result also brought the qualification race to its conclusion, with Rotterdam eliminated and Belfast Wolves securing the final playoff place.
2027 Season
[edit]Current squad
[edit]- Players with international caps are listed in bold.
| Name | Nat. | Batting style | Bowling style | Role | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Batters | |||||
| Faf du Plessis (c) |  South Africa |
Right-handed | N/a | Batter | |
| Michael Levitt |  Netherlands |
Right-handed | N/a | Batter | |
| Vikramjit Singh | Netherlands |
Left-handed | Right-arm medium | Batter | |
| All-rounders | |||||
| Mitchell Owen |  Australia |
Right-handed | Right-arm medium | All-rounder | |
| Ben Manenti |  Italy |
Right-handed | Right-arm off break | All-rounder | |
| Roelof van der Merwe | Netherlands |
Left-handed | Slow left-arm orthodox | All-rounder | |
| Logan van Beek | Netherlands |
Right-handed | Right-arm medium-fast | All-rounder | |
| David Wiese |  Namibia |
Right-handed | Right-arm medium-fast | All-rounder | |
| Shubham Ranjane |  United States |
Right-handed | Right-arm medium | All-rounder | |
| Wicket-keepers | |||||
| Donovan Ferreira | South Africa |
Right-handed | N/a | Wicket-keeper batter | |
| Heinrich Klaasen | South Africa |
Right-handed | N/a | Wicket-keeper batter | |
| Ben McDermott | Australia |
Right-handed | N/a | Wicket-keeper batter | |
| Bowlers | |||||
| Jai Moondra |  Ireland |
Left-handed | Left-arm fast | Bowler | |
| Anrich Nortje | South Africa |
Right-handed | Right-arm fast | Bowler | |
| Sandeep Lamichhane |  Nepal |
Right-handed | Leg break | Bowler | |
| Ryan Klein | Netherlands |
Right-handed | Right-arm medium-fast | Bowler | |
| Jasper Davidson |  Scotland |
Left-handed | Left-arm fast-medium | Bowler | |
| Saqib Zulfiqar | Netherlands |
Right-handed | Right-arm leg break | Bowler | |
Administration and support staff
[edit]| Position | Name |
|---|---|
| Head coach | Adrian Birrell |
| Assistant coach | Heino Kuhn |
| Support staff | Stephan Myburgh |
| Support staff | Corey Rutgers |
| Physio | Craig Govender |
| Team manager | Hitesh Parekh |
| Analyst | Jay Shelat |
Seasons
[edit]Summaries
[edit]| Season | W–L | Pos. | Finals | Coach | Captain | Most Runs | Most Wickets | Refs |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 6–3 | 4th | DNQ | Adrian Birrell | Faf du Plessis | Faf du Plessis (449) | Anrich Nortje (19) | [24] |
Tournament finishes
[edit]| Year | League standing | Final standing |
|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 4th out of 6 | League stage |
- C: Champions
- RU: Runner-up
- SF: Team qualified for the semi-final stage of the competition
Statistics
[edit]| Year | Played | Wins | Losses | Tied/NR[a] |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 10 | 6 | 3 | 1 |
See also
[edit]Notes
[edit]- ↑ NR indicates "no result"; abandoned matches are indicated as no result.
References
[edit]- ↑ "Rotterdam Dockers cricket team officially launched". Rotterdam Style. 15 May 2026. Retrieved 28 July 2026.
- ↑ "Du Plessis, Rhodes, Klaasen join forces in 'easy business decision' to co-own ETPL team". Cricinfo. Retrieved 26 August 2026.
- ↑ "Rotterdam cricket franchise joins European T20 Premier League". Rotterdam Style. 12 May 2026. Retrieved 26 August 2026.
- ↑ "Inaugural edition of ETPL to start on August 26". Cricbuzz. 28 July 2026. Retrieved 28 July 2026.
- ↑ "European T20 franchise league to begin on August 26". Press Trust of India. 28 July 2026. Retrieved 29 July 2026.
- 1 2 3 4 "Du Plessis & Rhodes invest in Dutch ETPL team". BBC Sport. 30 April 2026. Retrieved 28 July 2026.
- 1 2 "European T20 Premier League". ETPL. Retrieved 28 July 2026.
- ↑ "Du Plessis & Rhodes invest in Dutch ETPL team". Rotterdam Dockers. Retrieved 26 August 2026.
- ↑ "John Abraham joins Rotterdam Dockers as co-owner ahead of inaugural ETPL season". European T20 Premier League. 26 June 2026. Retrieved 28 July 2026.
- ↑ "From squads to schedule, here's all you need to know about the inaugural ETPL season". Wisden. Retrieved 26 August 2026.
- ↑ "Sandeep joins Faf-led Rotterdam Dockers for inaugural ETPL". Rotterdam Dockers. Retrieved 26 August 2026.
- ↑ "Faf du Plessis Leads Rotterdam Dockers to Five-Wicket Victory in ETPL's Dutch Derby Opener". ETPL. Retrieved 26 August 2026.
- ↑ "Roelof and Faf, journeyman and jetsetter, and European cricket's new normal". Cricinfo. Retrieved 26 August 2026.
- ↑ "Rain Brings Early End as Rotterdam Dockers and Belfast Wolves Share Points". Cricinfo. Retrieved 30 August 2026.
- ↑ "Dockers Prevail in Dramatic Finish Against Cosmic". ETPLOfficial. Retrieved 2 September 2026.
- ↑ "Faf Leads the Charge as Dockers Complete Another Commanding Chase". ETPLOfficial. Retrieved 2 September 2026.
- ↑ "Castle Rockers defend 148 to hand Rotterdam Dockers their first defeat". etpl. Retrieved 6 September 2026.
- ↑ "Flames Firepower Seals Eight-Wicket Win Over Dockers". ETPL. Retrieved 6 September 2026.
- ↑ "Malahide Bound: The ETPL Enters Its Next Chapter". Cricinfo. Retrieved 9 September 2026.
- ↑ "Faf du Plessis powers Dockers to convincing win over Cosmic". ETPL. Retrieved 12 September 2026.
- ↑ "Rotterdam Dockers Chase Down 162 vs Belfast to Move Within Two Points of League Leaders Edinburgh". ETPL. Retrieved 13 September 2026.
- ↑ "Rotterdam Dockers Survive Late Edinburgh Fightback to Return to Second". etpl. Retrieved 16 September 2026.
- ↑ "James Vince Makes ETPL History as Dublin Guardians Knock Rotterdam Dockers Out". etpl. Retrieved 16 September 2026.
- ↑ "European T20 Premier League, 2026 – Stats and Records". Cricinfo.