Former Australia captain Steve Waugh, who is a co-founder and chief cricket officer of Flames, said: “Ajinkya Rahane represents everything you want in a professional cricketer–skill, resilience, humility and leadership. Throughout his career he has earned enormous respect across the cricket world, not only for his performances but for the way he has conducted himself on and off the field. I’ve seen first-hand the composure and leadership he brings under pressure, and those qualities help shape winning cultures.”

In a statement released by Flames, Rahane said: “Europe is entering an exciting phase and has the potential to become one of cricket’s most promising frontiers. What impressed me about Amsterdam Flames is the ambition to build something meaningful that creates a lasting impact both on and off the field.”

The Flames squad will be led by Australia’s T20 captain Mitchell Marsh and also includes Steve Smith, Tim David and Michael Bracewell. Ryan Cook is the head coach.

The ETPL is a cross-border franchise T20 league sanctioned by the cricket boards of Ireland and Northern Ireland, Scotland and the Netherlands. The league comprises six teams: Amsterdam Flames, Belfast Wolves, Dublin Guardians, Edinburgh Castle Rockers, Glasgow Cosmic and Rotterdam Dockers.

The first season of the ETPL begins on August 26 and comprises 30 league games followed by a Qualifier on September 19 and the final on September 20. The matches will be played in Malahide in Ireland and Voorburg in the Netherlands.