Abhishek Bachchan Targets Upsetting Cricket Equilibrium with Europe T20 Premier League

Abhishek Bachchan is a prolific Bollywood star and active sportsperson, who reaches the Indian shores with his interest other than as a Bollywood brand or sports-related investments. Starting with Pro Kabbadi and the Indian Super League, Bachhcn has again invested in yet another venture-a league called Europe T20 premier League, partnering the company as an owner. This newly-formed franchise tournament, involving three cricketing nations—Ireland, Scotland, and the Netherlands—looks to bring international standard cricket to Europe. With the tournament all set to kick off in July 2025, Bachchan talks about his journey into sports entrepreneurship and his hopes for the future of ETPL.

In an interview with CNBC-TV18, Bachchan candidly spoke about his growing sports portfolio and how his venture into cricket was a carefully considered step. "Investing in sports teams has turned into a bit of an expensive hobby," Bachchan quipped, acknowledging the substantial investment required for such ventures. However, this hasn't deterred him from pursuing his dream of making a lasting impact on the sports world. "Perhaps the next time we sit down, we can discuss the legacy that ETPL has left behind," he said while hoping to leave behind a legacy where ETPL is remembered as the league that changed the game in European sports.

Bachchan's journey into sports was never conventional. Unlike Shah Rukh Khan, Preity Zinta, and Juhi Chawla, other Bollywood stars who created a lot of hype about the Indian Premier League (IPL) in 2007, Bachchan took a different route. Initially, he was hesitant to enter cricket as he thought he had little to offer an already crowded game with experienced players and investors. In contrast, he ventured into the world of sports investment in 2014 by first investing in the Pro Kabaddi League's Jaipur Pink Panthers and later in Chennaiyin FC in the Indian Super League.

When asked about his transition into cricket, Bachchan explained, "I had certain criteria when I first started working in sports. Some of them have already been met, and now I feel ready to take the next big leap." He said he was a self-confessed Chelsea FC fan and wasn't confident enough of his knowledge in cricket. He first stepped into smaller, lesser known leagues just to test how well he could understand the sport. His major investment in cricketing came through when he along with his father Amitabh Bachchan took ownership of the team Majhi Mumbai in the Indian Street Premier League or ISPL - a T10 tennis ball cricket league held in India. The experience was "very playful" and "immensely competitive," said Bachchan, and it gave him the confidence to dive deeper into the world of cricket.

Bachchan is keen to bring high-level cricket to Europe, a market he believes holds vast untapped potential, as he becomes co-owner of the ETPL. "The opportunity to be part of the ownership group of the league excited me," Bachchan said. "It was not going to be in India; we are doing it in Europe, where there isn't yet a T20 league of this caliber," he said of the move meant to take cricket to new heights in Ireland, Scotland, and the Netherlands, the countries where it is growing fast but still finds itself in underdeveloped systems compared to older nations.

There will be six teams in ETPL's first edition, from such cities as Dublin, Belfast, Amsterdam, Rotterdam, Edinburgh, and Glasgow. Bachchan believes that ETPL will not only provide an entertainment platform for fans but also create opportunities for new talent to emerge, thus contributing to the growth of the sport in Europe. "I want to make a difference," Bachchan emphasized. "These are markets where I feel I can make an impact, and if I can help foster new talent while bringing T20 entertainment to Europe, then I have achieved what I set out to do."

While Bachchan might be a cricket enthusiast, he's being careful before getting into the IPL. "I feel the IPL has set a precedent as to how the teams should be run, and they do an excellent job," he said. "I don't know whether I want to get into that equation just yet. I want some more time before I can do that." For now, Bachchan's focus is squarely on his current ventures, especially on the ETPL, where he is working closely with stakeholders to ensure its success.

For Bachchan, the excitement lies in owning and co-owning a league rather than a single team, as is the case in the IPL. "Being part of a league's ownership allows me to have a broader impact, taking the game to new territories," Bachchan explained. "It's about creating something exciting and meaningful for cricket fans across Europe."

As the ETPL gets set for its inaugural season, one thing remains the same in Bachchan's vision-bringing the best quality T20 cricket to new viewers, building talent within the local region, and developing a legacy that can shape the course of the game in Europe for the future. He is one of those inspirational journeys-a passion for sports and savvy investment coming together for something that transforms the face of a sport.