Dublin Guardians
 Official logo of Dublin Guardians | |
| Nickname | The Guardians |
|---|---|
| League | European T20 Premier League |
| Personnel | |
| Captain | Ravichandran Ashwin |
| Coach | Vikram Rathour |
| Owner | Rahul Dravid |
| Team information | |
| City | Dublin, Ireland |
| Colours | Emerald Green, Gold, White, Navy Blue |
| Founded | 11 May 2026 |
| History | |
| ETPL wins | 0 |
 2026 Dublin Guardians season | |
The Dublin Guardians are a professional Twenty20 cricket franchise team based in Dublin, Ireland, competing in the European T20 Premier League (ETPL).[1] The Guardians were announced as one of the league's inaugural franchises on 11 May 2026.[1][2] The franchise is owned by former Indian captain and T20 World Cup-winning coach Rahul Dravid, who acquired a primary stake.[3] Former Indian offspinner Ravichandran Ashwin serves as both captain and mentor of the franchise.[4]
History
[edit]Formation
[edit]The Dublin Guardians were established as part of the inaugural European T20 Premier League, a competition first conceived in 2019.[2][5] The franchise was officially unveiled on 11 May 2026 at a landmark event in Dublin, where Rahul Dravid was announced as the owner, completing the league's six-team structure.[2][1][6][7][8]
Captain and mentorship
[edit]On 1 July 2026, former Indian offspinner Ravichandran Ashwin was appointed as captain and mentor of the franchise.[4][9] Ashwin, who retired from the Indian Premier League at the end of the 2025 season, joined as one of the tournament's direct signings.[4][10]
Players
[edit]Draft acquisitions
[edit]The inaugural player draft took place on 2 July 2026, with franchises selecting local players from the three organising nations through a snake-draft format.[11] Each franchise was required to select a minimum of six and a maximum of eight players from the draft pool. Dublin Guardians and Belfast Irish Wolves picked seven of the 12 available Irish players.[12] The Guardians selected Irish internationals George Dockrell, Craig Young, Benjamin Calitz, Matthew Hollard alongside Noah Croes, and Chris Greaves.[12][13]
Direct Overseas Signings
[edit]Daryl Mitchell, James Vince, Vijay Shankar, Harmeet Singh and Sanjay Krishnamurthi.[14]
Current squad
[edit]The following players have been confirmed as part of the Dublin Guardians squad for the 2026 European T20 Premier League:
| No. | Name | Nationality | Birth date | Batting style | Bowling style | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Batters | ||||||
| — | Daryl Mitchell |  New Zealand | — | — | — | Overseas player |
| — | James Vince |  England | — | — | — | Overseas player |
| — | Muhammad Waseem |  United Arab Emirates | — | — | — | Associate player |
| All-rounders | ||||||
| — | Ravichandran Ashwin (c) |  India | 17 September 1986 | Right-handed | Right-arm off break | Mentor; Overseas player[4] |
| — | George Dockrell |  Ireland | 22 July 1992 | Right-handed | Slow left-arm orthodox | Affiliated local player; Drafted[12] |
| — | Vijay Shankar | India | — | — | — | Overseas player |
| — | Harmeet Singh |  United States | — | — | — | Associate player |
| — | Harry Tector | Ireland | — | — | — | Affiliated local player |
| Wicket-keepers | ||||||
| — | Ben Calitz | Ireland | 6 July 2002 | Left-handed | Right-arm medium | Affiliated local player; Drafted[12] |
| — | Noah Croes |  Netherlands | — | — | — | Local player; Drafted[12] |
| Bowlers | ||||||
| — | Chris Greaves |  Scotland | — | — | — | Local player; Drafted[12] |
| — | Peter Hatzoglou |  Greece | — | — | — | European associate player |
| — | Matt Hollard | Ireland | — | — | — | Affiliated local player; Drafted[12] |
| — | Josh Little | Ireland | — | — | — | Affiliated local player |
| — | Chris Wood | England | — | — | — | Overseas player |
| — | Craig Young | Ireland | 4 April 1990 | Right-handed | Right-arm fast-medium | Affiliated local player; Drafted[12] |
| Source:[12][11][13] | ||||||
Seasons
[edit]Summaries
[edit]| Season | W–L | Pos. | Finals | Coach | Captain | Most Runs | Most Wickets | Refs |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 |
Tournament finishes
[edit]| Year | League standing | Final standing |
|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 5th 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 |
Administration and support staff
[edit]| Position | Name |
|---|---|
| Owner | Rahul Dravid[1] |
| Captain | Ravichandran Ashwin[4] |
| Head coach | Vikram Rathour |
| Assistant coach | Ed Joyce |
| Bowling coach | Mitchell McClenaghan |
| Fielding coach | John Mooney |
See also
[edit]Notes
[edit]- ↑ NR indicates "no result"; abandoned matches are indicated as no result.
References
[edit]- 1 2 3 4 "Rahul Dravid announced as owner of Dublin Guardians". Cricbuzz. 11 May 2026. Retrieved 9 July 2026.
- 1 2 3 "Former India great Dravid acquires Dublin ETPL franchise". RTÉ Sport. 11 May 2026. Retrieved 9 July 2026.
- ↑ "Ashwin reunites with Rahul Dravid as captain, mentor of Dublin Guardians". Financial Express. 2 July 2026. Retrieved 9 July 2026.
- 1 2 3 4 5 "Ashwin to captain and mentor Dublin Guardians in inaugural ETPL season". Cricbuzz. 1 July 2026. Retrieved 9 July 2026.
- ↑ "Inaugural Euro T20 Slam cancelled at two weeks' notice". ESPN. 14 August 2019. Retrieved 9 July 2026.
- ↑ "Inaugural European T20 Premier League postponed to 2026". Cricbuzz. 6 June 2025. Retrieved 9 July 2026.
- ↑ "What is ETPL? Rahul Dravid and Chris Gayle to co-own team in Abhishek Bachchan-led T20 league". Yahoo Sports. 11 May 2026. Retrieved 9 July 2026.
- ↑ "European T20 Premier League bags investment from Bollywood actor Abhishek Bachchan". SportsPro. 7 January 2025. Retrieved 9 July 2026.
- ↑ "ETPL: Ashwin joins Dublin Guardians as captain and mentor". ESPNcricinfo. 1 July 2026. Retrieved 9 July 2026.
- ↑ "R Ashwin brings curtain down on 'my time as an IPL cricketer'". ESPNcricinfo. 26 August 2025. Retrieved 9 July 2026.
- 1 2 "ETPL Player Draft 2026: All You Need To Know". European T20 Premier League. 2 July 2026. Retrieved 15 August 2026.
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 "After India exploits, Moondra headlines ETPL draft as Dockers' first pick". Cricbuzz. 2 July 2026. Retrieved 9 July 2026.
- 1 2 "ETPL: Ashwin joins Dublin Guardians as captain and mentor". ESPNcricinfo. 1 July 2026. Retrieved 9 July 2026.
- ↑ "ETPL: Vijay Shankar to team up with Ashwin at Dublin Guardians". ESPNcricinfo. Retrieved 15 August 2026.
External links
[edit]- Cricbuzz – Rahul Dravid announced as owner of Dublin Guardians
- ESPNcricinfo – Ashwin joins Dublin Guardians as captain and mentor
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