A European cricket league tried to launch in 2019. It collapsed before the first match.
Now they’re trying again.
A new European T20 Premier League launches in August 2026, backed by Bollywood star Abhishek Bachchan and targeting cities like Paris, Berlin, and Barcelona. The organizers already postponed once—from 2025 to 2026—to find investors.
Cricket claims it’s the world’s second largest sport. Most of Europe hasn’t noticed.
The Timing Argument
Here’s what’s different now.
Italy qualified for the T20 World Cup for the first time in July 2025. Germany’s seeing growth through Afghan refugee communities. Cricket’s inclusion in the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics opened government funding channels across Europe that didn’t exist before.
Warren Deutrom, the league’s chair, notes that Olympic federations now recognize cricket as requiring serious investment. That’s leverage previous attempts didn’t have.
The Indian Premier League’s valuation hit $18.5 billion in 2025, with individual franchises worth up to $269 million. IPL owners are buying into international leagues.
The Reality Check
But better timing doesn’t erase the fundamental question: does Europe want this?
Cricket remains a fringe sport across the continent. Almost no commercial development exists outside England, Ireland, Scotland, and the Netherlands. The league talks about “massive headroom for growth” as if market absence equals opportunity.
That logic works when you’re filling unmet demand. It fails when you’re creating demand from scratch.
The dual mission creates tension. The league wants to provide development opportunities for players from emerging nations like Germany, Italy, and Spain. Commercial success needs star power and competitive quality. Reserving roster spots for developing players might help one goal while hurting the other.
Global cricket participation is projected to reach 85 million players by 2030, nearly double the 45 million today. Europe is part of that. The question is whether professional leagues accelerate participation or simply capitalize on growth that’s happening anyway.
The organizers won’t say what makes this attempt different from 2019. They point to Italy’s World Cup qualification and Olympic inclusion as proof of momentum. But momentum in participation doesn’t guarantee commercial interest.
The Investor Gamble
You’re betting on a market that doesn’t exist yet.
The IPL model works because India loves cricket. The Big Bash works because Australia has cricket infrastructure. The Hundred attracts investment because England has a cricket culture. Europe has none of that foundation.
The league is targeting investors similar to those in The Hundred, including potential interest from IPL owners and American tech entrepreneurs. That 2019 collapse? Still recent enough to make investors nervous.
The organizers believe the three-hour T20 format makes cricket accessible to European audiences unfamiliar with the sport. Maybe. But accessible doesn’t mean compelling. European sports fans already have football, rugby, basketball, and a dozen other options competing for attention.
Cricket’s European expansion faces a challenge that timing and capital alone can’t solve. You can build the league. You can sign the players. You can get broadcast deals.
But if Europeans don’t show up, this becomes another expensive lesson in the difference between sports growth and sports business. The 2019 collapse should have taught that already.
Apparently, it didn’t.