Dravid bets on new franchise league to grow cricket in soccer-dominated Europe

NEW DELHI, May 12 : Former India stalwart Rahul Dravid built a great career on judgement, patience and the discipline to leave the ball well alone - an instinct that has followed him from the crease to the boardroom. So when he agreed to buy the Dublin franchise in the European T20 Premier League (ETPL), it was because he saw it not as a speculative punt, but as a safe bet with a greater purpose - to help cricket find its niche in Europe's soccer-dominated sporting landscape. "I thought it was quite an exciting opportunity to be able to build something in Europe," Dravid told Reuters after being unveiled as owner of the Dublin Guardians in the six-team league backed by the cricket boards of Ireland, Scotland and the Netherlands. "I feel that while cricket may not be the number one, or the number two sport in this part of the world, it already has a great rich history and tradition of cricket." Former India spinner Ravichandran Ashwin will be Dublin's captain and mentor in a league that will also feature teams based in Belfast, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Rotterdam and Amsterdam. Cricket's 12 test-playing nations include only two from Europe - England and Ireland - though Scotland, the Netherlands, and Italy also played in this year's T20 World Cup. CLEAR ADVANTAGE Dravid believes ETPL held a clear advantage over competitions in newer markets, including those in the U.S. and the Gulf, which rely heavily on talent and audience from the South Asian diaspora. "It really is a question of giving them the right kind of exposure and environment to be able to fulfil that potential," former India captain Dravid said. "Giving them these opportunities to play with some of the best players in the world in a very organised league structure and also to give them access to some of the best coaching in the world will mean that the talent can grow here." The ambition is not merely to stage another franchise tournament, but to create a pathway. Dravid, who scored over 24,000 international runs before retiring in 2012, would not be surprised if more European countries were challenging the traditional powerhouses in T20 Internationals within a decade. "I definitely think that given the right resources and platform, some of these countries can certainly become very, very competitive. "I think New Zealand is a good role model for a lot of these countries because they also have a slightly smaller population and fewer people playing the game, but they're a very, very good side." "It's not like some magic bullet where one tournament will overnight make them world champions. But there certainly is that foundation that we have an opportunity to work with." Former Australia captain Steve Waugh, South Africans Faf du Plessis, Jonty Rhodes and Heinrich Klaasen, and former West Indies captain Chris Gayle are among the co-owners in the league, which will be played in August and September.