Belfast's European T20 Premier League team taking shape with six players added after draft
Belfast’s new Twenty20 team continues to take shape ahead of the inaugural European T20 Premier League (ETPL) after six players were added through Thursday’s draft.
The Belfast Wolves are one of six sides competing in a brand new competition which is set to be staged between August 26 and September 20.
They’ll be coming up against the Amsterdam Flames, Rotterdam Dockers, Dublin Guardians, Edinburgh Castle Rockers and Glasgow Cosmic.
With hard-hitting Australian international Glenn Maxwell already confirmed as captain of the Belfast Wolves – he is also co-owner of the franchise – six more players were added to their squad via the draft system.
Each franchise has a salary budget of $1.48million with the purse awarded to drafted players based on the round they were selected.
Ireland and Instonians spinner Matthew Humphreys was picked by the Wolves in the first round, meaning he’s set to earn $55,000, while Dutch bowler Fred Klaassen, Tim Tector, Paul Stirling, Scotland’s Zainullah Ihsan and Alexander Roy of the Netherlands were also drafted.
More players will be added to Belfast’s team ahead of the tournament with budget still remaining to lure star names from world cricket.
The August-September window means ETPL is set to avoid clashing with The Hundred in England and America’s Major League Cricket, potentially allowing more high-profile players to participate.
Ross Adair was drafted in round two by Edinburgh Castle Rockers, who will be captained by New Zealand’s Mitchell Santner, while his Lisburn team-mate Ben Calitz was Dublin’s first pick – Indian legend Ravichandran Ashwin is set to lead the Guardians.
Ireland’s breakout star Jai Moondra, who impressed on debut in a recent series win over India, was selected by Rotterdam in the first round while fellow bowler Matt Hollard has joined Calitz, George Dockrell and Craig Young in Dublin.
Belfast skipper Maxwell, who has represented his country nearly 300 times across all formats, has developed a reputation for being one of the most aggressive and entertaining cricketers in the world, earning the nickname ‘Big Show’.
"I am thrilled to be involved with the Irish Wolves, where we will build a culture of fun, family and playing without fear,” said Maxwell in January after he was announced as owner alongside Rohan Lund. “The Irish people love their sport and Cricket Ireland have made huge strides in expanding the game over the last two decades.
"The Wolves and the European T20 Premier League will accelerate that growth and I feel super proud to be leading the franchise in its inaugural year.”