Vijay Shankar Joins Dublin Guardians in European T20 Premier League

Former India allrounder Vijay Shankar has signed with the Dublin Guardians, one of the six franchises in the inaugural European T20 Premier League (ETPL). This marks his second T20 league involvement since his retirement from IPL and Indian domestic cricket in May.

The Dublin Guardians will be led by head coach Vikram Rathour, a former batting coach for India and current member of the Rajasthan Royals’ support staff. He will be aided by Ed Joyce (assistant coach), Mitchell McClenaghan (bowling coach), and John Mooney (fielding coach). Rathour recently served as a consultant batting coach for Sri Lanka.

Shankar is set to reunite with R Ashwin, his former teammate from Chennai Super Kings and domestic cricket, who has taken on the role of captain and mentor for Dublin. The franchise is co-owned by former India captain and T20 World Cup-winning coach Rahul Dravid.

Joining Shankar at Dublin is New Zealand batter Daryl Mitchell, who is being signed as a direct overseas player. USA bowling allrounder Harmeet Singh and fellow countryman Sanjay Krishnamurthi, known for his previous stints in the UAE’s ILT20 and Guyana’s Global Super League, will also be part of the franchise’s overseas roster.

Shankar, Ashwin, and Dravid have a long history together, having played league cricket in Chennai during the early 2010s. After retiring from Indian cricket, Shankar remained active in competitive league cricket in Chennai and recently played in the Lanka Premier League (LPL) for Kandy Royals, where he scored 150 runs in nine innings at a strike rate of 145.63.

In his international career, Shankar accumulated 223 runs in 12 ODIs at an average of 31.85 and 101 runs in nine T20Is at an average of 25.25. He captained Tamil Nadu to numerous titles, including the Vijay Hazare Trophy, Deodhar Trophy, and Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy, before transferring to Tripura for the 2025-26 season. He concluded his domestic career on a high note, scoring an unbeaten 151 in a Ranji Trophy match in February.

Shankar’s first-class cricket statistics include 4,253 runs at an average of 46.73 and 154 wickets across formats in 348 games. He has previously played in the IPL for franchises including the Chennai Super Kings, Sunrisers Hyderabad, Delhi Daredevils, and Gujarat Titans, contributing to SRH’s title victory in 2016.

In June, Dublin also signed players Benjamin Calitz, George Dockrell, Matthew Hollard, Craig Young, Noah Croes, and Chris Greaves in preparation for the league. The ETPL season will take place from August 26 to September 20 across Ireland, Scotland, and the Netherlands. This league, developed in conjunction with Cricket Ireland, Cricket Scotland, and the Royal Dutch Cricket Association, is Europe’s first ICC-sanctioned multi-country franchise T20 league.

Special Credits: Image Courtesy of Espn