Franchise Cricket

Timothy Abraham
BBC Sport Journalist

Image source, ETPL

Faf du Plessis, Heinrich Klaasen and Jonty Rhodes have been announced as the co-owners of the Rotterdam franchise in the European T20 Premier League.

As reported by BBC Sport in March the trio of ex-South Africa international players are part of a group which has bought the second Dutch team - who will be called the Rotterdam Dockers - for the inaugural tournament later this summer.

Five of the six franchises for the ETPL have now been sold with an investment group involving Rahul Dravid and Ravichandran Ashwin in advanced talks to acquire the final team based out of Dublin.

Du Plessis, who will captain the Dockers, said: "This is my first step into team ownership, and the timing couldn't be better with European cricket gaining real momentum.

"Having experienced franchise leagues across the world, I see immense potential in what the ETPL is building. I'm looking forward to contributing both on and off the field and helping shape a strong cricketing culture within our team."

Rhodes said the ETPL represented a "compelling opportunity" to develop "Europe's cricketing potential" on a global stage.

"What the region now needs is a strong commercial framework to unify and elevate this ecosystem," he added.

"The ETPL offers exactly that, creating pathways to identify, nurture, and scale talent, and ultimately strengthening the game across Europe."

The ETPL is being run in collaboration with the cricket boards of Ireland, Scotland and the Netherlands with teams based out of Amsterdam, Rotterdam, Belfast, Dublin, Glasgow and Edinburgh.

Bollywood actor and film producer Abhishek Bachchan is a part-owner of the ETPL in conjunction with Rules Sport Tech, a private Indian company.

As reported by BBC Sport earlier this year, the franchises have been sold for £11.1m ($15m) over a 10-year period.

The tournament is set to be played from 26 August to 20 September.

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Heinrich Klaasen's 65 not out from 30 balls completed Sunrisers Hyderabad's remarkable chase of 244 to beat the struggling Mumbai Indians by six wickets.

South Africa's Klaasen helped Sunrisers reach their target with eight balls to spare, making it the third-highest successful chase in IPL history.

It was emphatically set up by Abhishek Sharma and Travis Head's opening stand of 129 in just 8.4 overs.

The pair blitzed 92 in the powerplay alone before Abhishek fell for 45, and Australia's Head kicked on to his first half-century of the tournament, whacking eight sixes in his 76 from 30 balls.

Sunrisers then slipped to 133-3, but Klaasen's onslaught dented Mumbai's hopes of a fightback by adding 80 off 40 balls with Nitish Kumar Reddy, before Salil Arora's brilliant cameo of 30 off 10 got them over the line.

Even Jasprit Bumrah was unable to contain the Sunrisers' power as he conceded 54 from four wicketless overs.

Klaasen's knock eclipsed that of his Proteas compatriot Ryan Rickelton, who made an unbeaten 123 from 55 balls in Mumbai's 243-5 for his first IPL century.

Rickelton and England's Will Jacks, who made 46, added 93 in seven overs for the first wicket with regular openers Rohit Sharma and Quinton de Kock both injured.

Sunrisers' Eshan Malinga, the leading wicket-taker so far, was the pick of the bowlers with 1-29.

Mumbai sit precariously in ninth position with just two wins from eight, only ahead of Lucknow Super Giants, while Sunrisers remain in third.

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Hyderabad Kingsmen will face Islamabad United for a place in the final of the Pakistan Super League after a convincing win over Multan Sultans.

Maaz Sadaqat was the hero as Kingsmen chased down a target of 160 with more than four overs to spare.

Young all-rounder Sadaqat hit an unbeaten 64 at the top of the order, and shared a century stand with Usman Khan as Sultans fell flat in Eliminator 1.

Earlier, Shan Masood held the Sultans together with an unbeaten 69, rescuing his side from 52-5 and 114-8 as they eventually posted 159-9.

The final Eliminator will be on Friday, with the winners facing Peshawar Zalmi in Sunday's final.

Scorecard, Table

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Babar Azam continued his fine form to steer Peshawar Zalmi into the final of the Pakistan Super League.

The former Pakistan skipper scored 103 off 59 balls - his second of this year's competition - as Zalmi overpowered in-form Islamabad United in the Qualifier.

Babar brought his century up with a six, straight down the ground off ex-England seamer Richard Gleeson, as Zalmi piled up 221-7 - United skipper Shadab Khan taking 3-42.

United started well and raced to 58-0 inside five overs and reached 98-2 in the 11th over but once their top order well, they struggled to keep pace and fell to a xx-run loss.

Australia all-rounder Aaron Hardie took 3-24 for Zalmi, who are through to Sunday's final. United have a second chance of progress when they face the winners of the Eliminator between Multan Sultans and Hyderabad Kingsmen on Friday.

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Rajasthan Royals completed a successful chase of 223 with four balls to spare to end Punjab Kings' unbeaten run.

Royals' dynamic opening duo of Yashasvi Jaiswal and Vaibhav Sooryavanshi blitzed 51 in 3.1 overs, before the latter fell for 43 from just 16 balls.

Jaiswal kicked on to make 51 but Punjab's bowlers dragged back control in the middle overs, leaving the Royals needing 72 from the last six overs.

But Donovan Ferreira and Shubham Dubey, who came in as an impact player, combined for an unbeaten stand of 77 from 34 balls to complete the chase.

Ferreira struck his third six to simultaneously hit the winning runs and reach his 26-ball fifty, while Dubey finished unbeaten on 31 off 12.

Punjab had also made an explosive start with Prabhsimran Singh scoring 59 and Priyansh Arya whacking 29 off 11 balls in the powerplay before he was dismissed by Jofra Archer.

Australia's Marcus Stoinis ensured that the innings did not lose its momentum as he crashed 62 not out from just 22 balls with four fours and six sixes as Punjab finished on 222-4.

Punjab remain top of the table despite defeat, with six wins from eight, while the crucial win takes the Royals up to third behind Royal Challengers Bengaluru.

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England wicketkeeper Jos Buttler has picked his ultimate Indian Premier League XI on his Love of Cricket podcast with Stuart Broad.

Buttler has played 129 IPL games, scoring 4,390 runs so has plenty of experience of playing with and against the greats of the India-based T20 tournament.

Here's his ultimate XI:

1. Virat Kohli

2. Chris Gayle

3. Suresh Raina

4. AB De Villiers

5. Kieron Pollard

6. Andre Russell

7. MS Dhoni

8. Sunil Narine

9. Rashid Khan

10. Lasith Malinga

11. Jasprit Bumrah

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Defending champions Royal Challengers Bengaluru dominated Delhi Capitals to strengthen their title credentials.

Delhi were blown away inside the first four overs of the match as RCB's impressive bowling attack reduced them to 8-6.

Bhuvneshwar Kumar produced a sublime delivery to remove Sahil Parakh with the first ball of the game and Josh Hazlewood took two in two off the next over to leave the Capitals 2-3.

The wickets kept tumbling, with Bhuvneshwar taking 3-5 off his three overs and Hazlewood returning 4-12.

Substitute Abishek Porel restored some respectability with 30 off 33 balls as the stunned hosts limped to 75 all out.

England's Jacob Bethell hit two towering sixes into the leg side in the RCB reply before Devdutt Padikkal hammered 34 off 13 to seal a nine-wicket victory with more than 13 overs to spare.

Virat Kohli, the leading run-scorer in the tournament's history, finished 23 not out for the visitors, scoring his 9,000th IPL run in the process.

Scorecard; Table

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Kolkata Knight Riders edged past Lucknow Super Giants in a dramatic Indian Premier League contest that needed a super over to decide the winner.

Chasing KKR's 155-8, Lucknow required seven runs to win from Kartik Tyagi's last ball, which Mohammed Shami launched for six to force a tie and send the match into a super over.

Sunil Narine dismissed Nicholas Pooran and Aiden Markram to restrict hosts Lucknow to just one run batting first in the super over before Rinku Singh, who had emerged as KKR's star on the field with four catches, fittingly hit the winning runs.

Earlier, Mohsin Khan had claimed five wickets as Lucknow took early control after asking KKR to bat first.

The 27-year-old Indian left-arm seamer set the tone early by dismissing Tim Seifert for a three-ball duck in a wicket-maiden and finished with 5-23 to leave Kolkata reeling at 73-6.

But Rinku produced a stunning late surge, smashing four consecutive sixes in the last over to remain unbeaten on 83 from 51 balls and help KKR post 155-8.

Lucknow lost wickets at regular intervals as they struggled to keep pace during the chase but Rishabh Pant's 42 and contributions from Markram and Ayush Badoni set up the dramatic finish.

Kolkata climb to eighth place with five points while Lucknow are bottom with four.

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Islamabad United set up a meeting with table-toppers Peshawar Zalmi in the Pakistan Super League qualifier after a four-wicket victory against Multan Sultans.

The winner of final league-stage game had the chance to clinch second place and a spot in the qualifier - which offered a direct route to the final with a win or a second chance via a second eliminator if defeated.

And it was Islamabad who clinched it as Mark Chapman starred with an unbeaten 69 from 33 balls as they chased down Multan's 192-7 in Karachi to leapfrog their opponents on the table.

Multan, who finished third, will now play fourth-placed Hyderabad Kingsmen in the first eliminator on 29 April.

Batting first, Multan were given early momentum by openers Sahibzada Farhan and Steven Smith, who both scored 30, while Shan Masood added a 33-ball 44 to take them to 129-4 in the 16th over.

After Masood's departure, Arafat Minhas and Mohammad Wasim, who struck an unbeaten 26 from nine balls, ensured they finished strongly.

Islamabad lost opener Sameer Minhas early but Shadab Khan scored 36 from 28 balls before Chapman took control of the chase.

The New Zealand all-rounder found support from Haider Ali and Faheem Ashraf as he guided Islamabad to the decisive victory with eight balls to spare.

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Gujarat Titans bounced back from two consecutive defeats in the Indian Premier League with Kagiso Rabada spearheading their commanding eight-wicket win against Chennai Super Kings.

Asked to bat first, CSK were forced onto the back foot as South African pacer Rabada took 3-25, including the wickets of opener Sanju Samson, who became the 10th player and the fastest Indian to reach 5,000 IPL runs, and Urvil Patel in the fourth over.

Captain Ruturaj Gaikwad registered his first half-century of the season, scoring 74 from 60 balls, and shared a 59-run stand with Shivam Dube to steady the innings before England's Jamie Overton smashed 18 from six balls to lift Chennai to 158-7.

Shubman Gill scored 33 as Gujarat raced to 58-0 in the powerplay before the captain departed two balls later, but fellow opener Sai Sudharsan then shared a decisive 97-run partnership with England wicketkeeper Jos Buttler.

Sudharsan scored 87 from 46 balls before falling four runs short of the target but Buttler guided Gujarat home with an unbeaten 39 from 30 balls.

With their fourth win of the season, Gujarat leapfrog Chennai to fifth place while CSK now sit two points behind in sixth.

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Hyderabad Kingsmen secured the fourth and final spot in the Pakistan Super League play-offs with a commanding 108-run victory against bottom side Rawalpindiz in their last game of the league stage.

The Kingsmen sneaked into fourth place with the fifth win of their debut PSL campaign, edging past Lahore Qalandars on superior net run-rate and thereby eliminating the defending champions.

Needing a big win against Rawalpindiz to stay alive, the Kingsmen posted 244-6 batting first, with Usman Khan setting the platform with a rapid 54 from 26 balls.

Glenn Maxwell and Kusal Perera continued the onslaught with the Australian smashing 70 from 37 balls while the latter remained unbeaten on 50 to put the Kingsmen in a commanding position in Karachi.

Rawalpindiz never threatened in their response as they lost wickets regularly with only Australian batter Usman Khawaja putting up some resistance with an unbeaten 66, while English wicketkeeper-batter Sam Billings scored a 12-ball 23.

Kingsmen medium pacer Hunain Shah took 4-22 and Akif Javed registered 3-38 to derail the chase while Maxwell also chipped in with a wicket as Rawalpindiz were bundled out for 136 in the 17.1 overs.

Rawalpindiz finished at the bottom with only one win and nine defeats.

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Defending champions Lahore Qalandars kept their play-off hopes in the Pakistan Super League alive with a crucial six-wicket win against leaders Peshawar Zalmi in their final league-stage fixture.

The win lifted the Qalandars into fourth place, overtaking Karachi Kings on net run-rate and knocking them out of the contention for a place in the next stage.

But their play-off spot is not yet secure, with Hyderabad Kingsmen able to move level on 10 points if they defeat bottom side Rawalpindiz in their final game on Sunday.

Peshawar posted a competitive total of 199-4 batting first, led by Michael Bracewell's 83 from 45 balls and captain Babar Azam's 59.

After losing two wickets inside five overs, Babar's composed innings steadied the innings before Bracewell accelerated through the middle overs and Iftikhar Ahmed's 14-ball 27 ensured a strong finish.

In their response, Qalandars opener Fakhar Zaman scored an unbeaten 58 off 47 balls while more aggressive contributions from Abdullah Shafique, Sikandar Raza and Daniel Sams powered them past the target with three balls remaining.

Zalmi, who suffered their first defeat of the campaign, finished top with 17 points.

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Karachi Kings boosted their hopes of qualifying for the Pakistan Super League play-offs with a commanding nine-wicket win against Quetta Gladiators in Lahore.

Chasing a target of 196, David Warner and Reeza Hendricks produced a 141-run second-wicket partnership to help the Kings finish the league stage with five wins in 10 matches.

The Kings sit fourth with 10 points - two ahead of Lahore Qalandars and Hyderabad Kingsmen, who both have a game in hand.

Kings lost Jason Roy early after the English opener hit 20 from 15 balls, but captain Warner led from the front on his return to the squad after missing two matches because of a back strain.

The 39-year-old Australian hit 10 fours and four sixes in his unbeaten 89 from 48 balls while Hendricks struck 87 to seal the victory in 18.3 overs.

Earlier, Rilee Rossouw's 54-ball 90 and captain Saud Shakeel's 57 from 34 balls had taken the Gladiators to 195-6.

But with their seventh defeat of the campaign, their hopes of making it to the play-offs are over as they finish in seventh place with six points from 10 matches.

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Richard Gleeson led Islamabad United into the Pakistan Super League play-offs as his three-wicket haul set up a comfortable win over Hyderabad Kingsmen in Karachi.

The 38-year-old Warwickshire fast bowler dismissed both openers Maaz Sadaqat and Marnus Labuschagne as well as number three Saim Ayub to leave the Kingsmen reeling at 24-3 inside five overs, finishing with figures of 3-9.

Captain Shadab Khan and Imad Wasim maintained the pressure by taking three wickets apiece as the Kingsmen were bundled out for just 80 - the fifth lowest total in the PSL history.

Islamabad lost New Zealand's Devon Conway only two balls into the chase but Mohsin Riaz struck 42 from 18 balls to guide them to a crucial eight-wicket victory with 80 balls to spare.

Islamabad's fifth win in nine matches guaranteed their place in the play-offs and moved them third with 11 points - six points behind leaders Peshawar Zalmi and one behind Multan Sultans.

Debutants Kingsmen are fifth where they are level on eight points with Lahore Qalandars and Karachi Kings.

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