Rahul Dravid’s Franchise Debut Ends in Loss
Former India captain Rahul Dravid’s first match as a franchise owner didn’t go as planned. His team, Dublin Guardians, lost their opening game in the European T20 Premier League (ETPL) 2026 by 52 runs to Belfast Wolves. The match was delayed due to rain and took place at Sportpark Duivesteijn in Voorburg.
Dublin Guardians captain Ravichandran Ashwin won the toss and decided to bowl under cloudy skies. However, the game started poorly for his team. The opening pair of Paul Stirling and Tim Tector from Belfast Wolves scored quickly, racing to 40 runs in just four overs. England’s Chris Wood managed to slow things down by taking a key wicket when he dismissed Tector.
Joshua Little then took two quick wickets back-to-back. First, he got rid of Paul Stirling with a great catch by Vijay Shankar. Then, he bowled Lorcan Tucker. Ashwin, making his debut in an overseas league, also took a wicket, leaving Belfast Wolves struggling at 68/4.
But the turning point came when Mark Chapman and Glenn Maxwell started rebuilding their innings. They scored 84 runs together in just 49 balls. New Zealand’s Glenn Maxwell was particularly aggressive, hitting 54 runs off 33 balls with six fours and two sixes. Maxwell, who made his ETPL debut, also smashed a quick 60 runs off 38 balls.
Belfast Wolves ended their innings at 184/7 in 20 overs. For Dublin Guardians, Chris Wood and Joshua Little were the top performers with three and two wickets respectively.
In response, Fred Klaassen and Mark Adair took two wickets each early on for Belfast Wolves, leaving Dublin struggling. Harry Tector was the first to go, getting out for zero runs. Muhammad Waseem was run out, and Sanjay Krishnamurthi, Daryl Mitchell, and Vijay Shankar also fell in quick succession.
Ashwin, who hadn’t played competitive cricket for over two months, tried hard but couldn’t lead his team to a strong start. Dublin Guardians managed only 132/9 in their 20 overs. For Belfast Wolves, Adair, Klaassen, and Matthew Humphreys each took two wickets.