Chris Gayle becomes co-owner of Glasgow Mugafians in Abhishek Bachchan-backed European T20 cricket league

The European T20 Premier League (ETPL), led by co-owner Abhishek Bachchan, has announced its Glasgow-based franchise, with West Indies cricket icon Chris Gayle taking on a dual role as Co-Owner and Global Brand Ambassador.

The team, named “Glasgow Mugafians,” will represent Scotland in Europe’s first ICC-sanctioned T20 league. It is backed by the Mugafi Group as a founding partner and is owned by Tansha Batra. Gayle’s entry is seen as one of the most high-profile ownership moves in the league’s early expansion.

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The announcement was made in Mumbai by the ETPL leadership team. The league is set to begin its inaugural season from August 26 to September 20, 2026, featuring six franchises across Glasgow, Amsterdam, Edinburgh, Dublin, Belfast and Rotterdam. A total of 33 matches will be played across these cities in the first season.

Chris Gayle, speaking on his new role, said: “Stepping into the role of co-owner of Glasgow Mugafians marks an exciting new chapter for me. The ETPL is already creating waves globally, and having played in franchise leagues around the world, I’m confident this will be something special. Europe represents cricket’s final frontier, and the ETPL has the potential to unravel promising local talent and nurture future heroes who will strengthen the sport in that region. I can’t wait to get started on this new journey.”

Speaking on the launch of the Glasgow franchise, Abhishek Bachchan said: “We are delighted to welcome the Mugafi Group and Chris Gayle to this journey. Europe represents one of the most exciting frontiers for cricket, a region rich in sporting culture, diversity and untapped potential. With the ETPL, we are not just building a league but creating a platform that can unlock talent, unite markets and establish Europe as a powerful new center of the global game.”

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Mugafi Group founder and CEO Vipul Agrawal highlighted the commercial and long-term value behind the franchise model, saying: “Every major sport in the world is now an eyeballs business. Cricket has 2.5 billion fans and the fastest-growing viewership of any sport on the planet. The IP sitting inside a founding-position franchise in Europe’s first ICC-sanctioned league, owned by someone like Chris Gayle, in a city like Glasgow, with a South Asian diaspora built for cricket, that is a once-in-a-generation asset. Mugafi exists to build and back IP that lasts. That’s exactly what this is.”

Owner Tansha Batra described the franchise as a bridge between Scotland’s existing cricket culture and its professional future. She said: “This is not about bringing cricket to Scotland. Cricket has been here for a very long time – in the parks, in the clubs, in the communities. What we’re building is a franchise that finally gives all of that a professional home. Glasgow Mugafians is where Scotland’s cricket story stops being a secret and starts being told to the world.”

The Glasgow franchise joins a growing list of high-profile ownership groups across the league. The Amsterdam team is backed by Australian cricket great Steve Waugh and hockey legend Jamie Dwyer, with Mitchell Marsh as captain. Belfast is co-owned by Glenn Maxwell, while Edinburgh is backed by New Zealand internationals Kyle Mills and Nathan McCullum, with Mitchell Santner leading as captain.

The ETPL is a joint venture between Cricket Ireland and Rules Global (Rules X). It is co-founded and co-owned by Abhishek Bachchan, Saurav Banerjee, Priyanka Kaul, and Dhiraj Malhotra, alongside partner boards from Cricket Ireland, Cricket Scotland and the Royal Dutch Cricket Association.