The Abhishek Bachchan-Chris Gayle partnership has taken centre stage with the official launch of the Glasgow Mugafians franchise in the European T20 Premier League (ETPL), Europe’s first ICC-sanctioned T20 competition.
The Glasgow-based team will represent Scotland in the six-franchise league, which is scheduled to run from August 26 to September 20, 2026, across cities including Amsterdam, Edinburgh, Dublin, Belfast and Rotterdam. A total of 33 matches are planned in the inaugural season.
Gayle marks one of the highest profile ownership entries
Chris Gayle has joined the franchise as co-owner and Global Brand Ambassador, marking one of the highest-profile ownership entries in the league so far. “Stepping into the role of co-owner of Glasgow Mugafians marks an exciting new chapter for me. The ETPL is already creating waves globally… Europe represents cricket’s final frontier,” Gayle said in a statement released during the launch event in Mumbai.
The league is co-owned by Abhishek Bachchan along with Saurav Banerjee, Priyanka Kaul and Dhiraj Malhotra, in partnership with Cricket Ireland, Cricket Scotland and the Royal Dutch Cricket Association. Bachchan said the initiative is aimed at building long-term cricketing infrastructure in the region.
“We are not just building a league but creating a platform that can unlock talent, unite markets and establish Europe as a powerful new centre of the global game,” he said.
The Glasgow franchise is backed by the Mugafi Group as a founding partner and owned by Tansha Batra. Mugafi Group founder and CEO Vipul Agrawal highlighted the commercial potential of the model, citing cricket’s global scale. He noted cricket’s 2.5 billion followers worldwide and how it makes it one of the most-watched sports globally.
“This is a founding-position franchise in Europe’s first ICC-sanctioned league… that is a once-in-a-generation asset,” Agrawal said, pointing to the long-term intellectual property value of franchise-based leagues.
Tansha Batra said the team aims to formalise Scotland’s existing cricket ecosystem. “Cricket has been here for a very long time… What we’re building is a franchise that finally gives all of that a professional home,” she said.
Other high profile names associated with ETPL
The ETPL has also attracted other high-profile names. The Amsterdam franchise is backed by Steve Waugh and Jamie Dwyer, with Mitchell Marsh named as captain, while Belfast is co-owned by Glenn Maxwell. Edinburgh’s team includes backing from Kyle Mills and Nathan McCullum, with Mitchell Santner leading on the field.
The launch of the Glasgow Mugafians adds to the league’s growing roster as organisers look to establish a new T20 property in Europe, combining local participation with global cricketing talent ahead of its inaugural season in 2026.