ETPL Player Draft 2026: Six teams fill spots with local talents

THE INAUGURAL ETPL DRAFT DELIVERS

The first-ever ETPL Draft lived up to every bit of its billing. Franchises revealed their strategies, marquee international names went alongside rising domestic talent, and squads for the league's opening season began to take shape in front of fans across Ireland, Scotland and the Netherlands.

CAMPHER GOES FIRST, MOONDRA FOLLOWS

The opening pick set the tone for the day. Curtis Campher became the first player selected in ETPL history, with the experienced Ireland all-rounder headlining the draft's first wave of talent, snapped up by Steve Waugh's Amsterdam Flames. He was followed immediately by Jai Moondra, whose recent form convinced the Rotterdam Dockers to move fast on one of the draft's most exciting young prospects.

BUILDING FOR BALANCE

Once the marquee names came off the board, the draft turned into a squad building exercise. Every franchise chased the same thing: a mix of experience and youth that could deliver across every phase of a T20 match. Rather than stacking star power, teams prioritised depth, filling out their batting, bowling and all-rounder options so no area of the squad was left short.

LOCAL TALENT AT THE CORE

If there was one defining theme from the day, it was the commitment to home-grown talent. Every franchise built the core of its roster around players from Ireland, Scotland and the Netherlands, underlining what the ETPL set out to do from the start. Glasgow Cosmics made the boldest statement of all, selecting five Scottish players in Brad Currie, Matthew Cross, Michael Leask, Oliver Davidson and Chris McBride to assemble the strongest local core in the competition.

THE NUMBERS BEHIND THE DRAFT

The league's draft criteria held firm across all six franchises, with 12 players selected from each of Ireland, Scotland and the Netherlands. The result is a competition that balances international quality with a genuine platform for the depth of talent across the three nations.

WHAT COMES NEXT

With the draft complete, the focus shifts from the boardroom to the field. The energy around the ETPL's first draft is a strong signal of what to expect from Season One: a competition built on established stars of European cricket rubbing shoulders with the best talents from around the world, sharing a dressing room with the next generation ready to make their mark.