The Rotterdam Dockers are a professional Twenty20 franchise cricket team based in Rotterdam, Netherlands. They compete in the European T20 Premier League (ETPL).
The team was announced as one of the inaugural franchises of the ETPL in 2026 and represents the city of Rotterdam in the competition. The Dockers are owned by a consortium led by former South African international cricketers Faf du Plessis, Jonty Rhodes and Heinrich Klaasen. The team is coached by Adrian Birrell and is captained by Faf du Plessis.
History Formation and ownership The franchise was announced on 30 April 2026 as the Rotterdam-based team of the ETPL. The Dockers are owned by a consortium led by former South African international cricketers Faf du Plessis, Jonty Rhodes and Heinrich Klaasen. The ownership group later expanded with the addition of Indian actor and sports entrepreneur John Abraham as a co-owner ahead of the inaugural ETPL season.
The franchise represents the city of Rotterdam, one of the Netherlands' largest cities and home to one of Europe's busiest ports. The team name "Dockers" reflects the city's maritime heritage and connection with the port industry. Former South African captain Faf du Plessis was appointed as the team's captain and became the leading figure of the franchise's sporting project. The ownership group stated that the Dockers would focus on combining international experience with the development of Dutch and European cricket talent.
2026: Inaugural season
The Dockers quickly assembled a strong squad ahead of the inaugural 2026 season, appointing South African veteran Faf du Plessis as captain and signing explosive wicketkeeper-batter Heinrich Klaasen alongside fellow South African fast bowler Anrich Nortje. Australian wicketkeeper-batter Ben McDermott and all-rounder Mitchell Owen, Welsh batter Aneurin Donald, and Namibian all-rounder David Wiese were also brought in. Dutch internationals Logan van Beek, Roelof van der Merwe, Michael Levitt, Ryan Klein, Vikramjit Singh, and Saqib Zulfiqar, along with Italian all-rounder Ben Manenti, American all-rounder Shubham Ranjane, Irish bowler Jai Moondra, and Scottish bowler Jasper Davidson, completed the squad. Nepalese leg-spinner Sandeep Lamichhane was also signed.
Ahead of the inaugural season opener, the team announced it would be led by South African Faf du Plessis and coached by Adrian Birrell.
Rotterdam began their inaugural ETPL campaign with a 5-wicket over Amsterdam Flames a no-result against Belfast Wolves due to rain a 5-wicket win over Glasgow Cosmic a 7-wicket win over Dublin Guardians a 55-runs defeat to Edinburgh Castle Rockers a 8-wicket defeat to Amsterdam Flames
The ETPL is heading to Malahide Cricket Ground in Malahide, Ireland and the second half is ready to begin. a 31-runs win over Glasgow Cosmic a 7-wicket win over Belfast Wolves a 5-runs win over Edinburgh Castle Rockers Rotterdam completed their league campaign with a 5-wicket defeat to Dublin Guardians. The result also brought the qualification race to its conclusion, with Rotterdam eliminated and Belfast Wolves securing the final playoff place. 2027 Season
Current squad Players with international caps are listed in bold.
+ Team rosterNameBatting styleBowling styleRoleBattersFaf du Plessis (c)Right-handedBatterMichael LevittRight-handedBatterVikramjit SinghLeft-handedRight-arm mediumBatterAll-roundersMitchell OwenRight-handedRight-arm mediumAll-rounderBen ManentiRight-handedRight-arm off breakAll-rounderRoelof van der MerweLeft-handedSlow left-arm orthodoxAll-rounderLogan van BeekRight-handedRight-arm medium-fastAll-rounderDavid WieseRight-handedRight-arm medium-fastAll-rounderShubham RanjaneRight-handedRight-arm mediumAll-rounderWicket-keepersDonovan FerreiraRight-handedWicket-keeper batterHeinrich KlaasenRight-handedWicket-keeper batterBen McDermottRight-handedWicket-keeper batterBowlersJai MoondraLeft-handedLeft-arm fastBowlerAnrich NortjeRight-handedRight-arm fastBowlerSandeep LamichhaneRight-handedLeg breakBowlerRyan KleinRight-handedRight-arm medium-fastBowlerJasper DavidsonLeft-handedLeft-arm fast-mediumBowlerSaqib ZulfiqarRight-handedRight-arm leg breakBowler
Administration and support staff +Rotterdam Dockers staff Position Name Head coach Adrian Birrell Assistant coach Heino Kuhn Support staff Stephan Myburgh Support staff Corey Rutgers Physio Craig Govender Team manager Hitesh Parekh Analyst Jay Shelat
Seasons Summaries SeasonFinalsCoachCaptainMost RunsMost WicketsRefs20266–34thDNQAdrian Birrell Faf du Plessis Faf du Plessis (449)Anrich Nortje (19)
Tournament finishes Year League standing Final standing20264th out of 6League stage C: Champions RU: Runner-up SF: Team qualified for the semi-final stage of the competition
Statistics YearPlayedWinsLossesTied/NR202610631
See also European T20 Premier League Amsterdam Flames
Notes
References
External links
Team announcement at Cricinfo Team home at Cricinfo