The much-delayed European T20 Premier League (ETPL) appears to be realistically taking off this year, with the organisers roping in Steve Waugh and Glenn Maxwell among others, as franchise owners. The six-team league, to be launched around August 26, will also have the former New Zealand players Kyle Mills and Nathan McCullum in the ownership group. The former Australian and New Zealand players were unveiled as ETPL franchise owners in Sydney on Tuesday.

"You know, it feels like August 26 is right around the corner. That's when the ETPL is going to take off. We are here in Sydney to announce the first three teams, which are Amsterdam, Belfast and Edinburgh," league owner Abhishek Bachchan told Cricbuzz from Australia. "Later next month, we will be able to announce the next three teams. We have been working towards it for the last two years and are very excited that it has all come together just as planned."

Waugh, the World Cup-winning former Australia skipper, Jamie Dwyer - a five-time World Player of the Year and Olympic gold medallist - and Tim Thomas, former CEO of the Centre for Australia-India Relations and former Partner at KPMG Australia, are the owners of the Amsterdam franchise.

Nathan McCullum, brother of former New Zealand skipper and current England coach Brendon McCullum, will own the Edinburgh team along with Kyle Mills, former New Zealand fast bowler and former ICC No.1-ranked ODI bowler. Belfast will be promoted by Australian all-rounder Glenn Maxwell, a global T20 star, together with Rohan Lund, former Group CEO of NRMA, alongside strategic partners to be announced in due course.

"I've always been selective about where I invest my time and energy in cricket. Franchise cricket has expanded quickly, but this opportunity stood out because it is driven by aspiration and long-term thinking. In many ways, it marks a return to the game for me - but in a very different role. This is about helping uphold the standards and spirit of cricket while supporting its growth into Europe, which remains the game's last great frontier," Waugh said.

Maxwell said he is excited to be part of an Irish franchise. "I am thrilled to be involved with the Irish Wolves, where we will build a culture of fun, family and playing without fear. The Irish people love their sport and Cricket Ireland have made huge strides in expanding the game over the last two decades. The Wolves and the European T20 Premier League will accelerate that growth and I feel super proud to be leading the franchise in its inaugural year," Maxwell, known as the Big Show, said.

An August-September window means the league will slightly overlap with the Caribbean Premier League (CPL) but will avoid a clash with England's The Hundred and Major League Cricket (MLC) in the USA. Bachchan said the organisers are finalising details regarding the salary cap and broadcast timings. "The salary cap is in the final stages and will be announced once all six teams are on board. We are negotiating that with all six teams to reach a consensus," the league owner said.

The ETPL is an ICC-sanctioned, global multi-country franchise league backed by the cricket boards of the Netherlands (KNCB), Ireland (CI) and Scotland (CS). It will be a six-team, 34-match competition. The ETPL was to be launched last year but was postponed by a year.