The European T20 Premier League is not looking to compete with football or other established sports for audience attention but aims to carve out its own space in the continent’s sporting landscape, league co-owner Abhishek Bachchan said ahead of its inaugural season. Bachchan, who has been involved in sports ownership acrossa different disciplines, believes Europe presents an exciting and largely untapped market for cricket and said the league has the potential to contribute to the sport’s growth in the continent.
The ETPL, which gets underway later this month, will be played across the Netherlands and Ireland in its maiden season, with Voorburg hosting the opening leg before the tournament moves to Malahide in Dublin.
“To be blunt, I wouldn’t be sitting in front of you if I didn’t think that there was potential and I didn’t see a market over there,” Bachchan told PTI in an interview. I don’t like this word of winning people over or convincing somebody to leave another sport and come here,” he said. The ETPL’s immediate objective, Bachchan said, is to develop a loyal following rather than chase numbers or attempt to overshadow established sporting competitions. “We’d be very happy just to start with a healthy small batch of ardent, loyal and passionate fans and you build from there,” he said.
“I’m not somebody who likes to compare apples and oranges. “Please support as many sports as you want. I’m an ardent sports fan. I support several different sports and different teams across different leagues. There’s more than enough room for everyone.
“The quest is not to outshine anybody else. The quest is to make a place for yourself under the sun in the cricketing firmament in Europe. “If you’re emotionally invested, it justifies all the other hard work. And when the first ball of the tournament is finally bowled, Bachchan’s thoughts will not be on the business side of the league but on an auspicious beginning.
The league has chosen the Netherlands and Ireland for its first season, with the opening leg set to be staged at Voorburg before the action shifts to Malahide in Dublin.
