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European T20 Premier League: European T20 Premier League (ETPL), officially sanctioned by the International Cricket Council (ICC), on Wednesday announced Amsterdam, Edinburgh and Belfast as the first franchise cities to join the competition, which is scheduled to begin at the end of August this year.

The League also confirmed the owners of its first three franchises at an international press conference in Sydney; Amsterdam will be owned by a group led by Australian cricket great Steve Waugh, alongside five-time World Player of the Year and Olympic gold medallist Jamie Dwyer, and by former CEO of the Centre for Australia-India Relations and former Partner at KPMG Australia, Tim Thomas.

"I've always been selective about where I invest my time and energy in cricket. Franchise cricket has expanded quickly, but this opportunity stood out because it is driven by aspiration and long-term thinking. In many ways, it marks a return to the game for me — but in a very different role. This is about helping uphold the standards and spirit of cricket while supporting its growth into Europe, which remains the game’s last great frontier," Waugh said.