Rhodes, celebrated for his exceptional fielding, is co-owner of the ETPL’s Rotterdam franchise along with fellow South African cricketers Heinrich Klaasen and Faf du Plessis, with Madhukhar Shree as managing partner. The ETPL is Europe's first ICC-sanctioned T20 league, featuring six city-based franchises from Glasgow, Amsterdam, Edinburgh, Dublin, Belfast, and Rotterdam. The inaugural season is set to run from August 26 to September 20, 2026, comprising 33 matches, marking a significant development for European cricket.

During the recent T20 World Cup, associate nations such as the United States, Nepal, Netherlands, Italy, and Scotland showed impressive performances. The Netherlands, although failing to progress beyond the group stage, had closely contested matches against India and Pakistan. Previously, in the 2022 T20 World Cup, the Netherlands had notably defeated a strong South African team.

When asked if the performances of these associate nations would attract greater interest in the ETPL, Rhodes responded, “Everybody loves the underdog.” He added that Indian cricket fans, in particular, would value the unique competition offering exposure and opportunities to lesser-known players. “Everyone loves the underdog. So, the fact that Italy did well in the T20 World Cup, Ireland, Netherlands and Scotland also had some fine performances in the recent T20 World Cup, now suddenly people are talking about them. And we know in India, when there is so much cricket going on in India, you think, well, surely another league, where does it fit in? But Indians love something that is unique and different. I mean, people have loved me from 1992 because I did things slightly differently,” he said.

Rhodes highlighted that associate nations often participate in major ICC tournaments as underdogs, but their recent performances drew significant attention, elevating players such as Shadley van Schalkwyk (US), Bas de Leede (Netherlands), Ben Maneti (Italy), Crishun Kalugamage (Italy), and Deepindra Singh Airee (Nepal). He emphasised that the ETPL aims to maintain the visibility of Europe's premier players beyond the World Cups and provide opportunities for development.

“It (the T20 World Cup) was exciting because the names that no one had ever heard of before were suddenly brought to the fore. And now we want to track their progress. So I think it was a huge start, but the ETPL is going to be the platform that allows them to grow their game. And, you know, you just see them every T20 World Cup and that is it, then they disappear. So here is an opportunity for them to be seen again in another avatar, you know, so, and just to be reinforced, the names to be reinforced, as opposed to just kind of once-off mentioned and then we do not see them again,” he said.

The announcement of the Rotterdam franchise adds to a notable ownership group within the league. The Amsterdam team is backed by Australian cricket legend Steve Waugh and hockey champion Jamie Dwyer; Belfast is co-owned by Australian all-rounder Glenn Maxwell; Edinburgh by former New Zealand cricketers Kyle Mills and Nathan McCullum; and Glasgow by West Indies star Chris Gayle.

Rhodes explained that his ownership involvement, joined by du Plessis and Klaasen, stems from his aspiration to engage with team ownership and introduce a South African presence to the league. “I have been a player, I’ve been a coach and never been a co-owner before. So, this is something new and exciting for me. Madhukar Shree, one of the co-owners, he and I have worked together since 2020 in the commercial side of cricket. And we have spoken about how do we get involved with a franchise and not just as an employee or someone working for the franchise,” he stated.

He added, “And this was an opportunity for us to get in at the early stage as co-owners. So, Madhukar and I have, because the first three teams that were announced, Steve Waugh, Glenn Maxwell, Kyle Mills and the McCullums, it was very Australia, New Zealand.”

Regarding the inclusion of du Plessis, who remains an active T20 player, and Klaasen, who retired from international cricket last year, Rhodes said the intention was to involve them as players with equity stakes and ownership roles. “So, we thought, okay, let us bring in a very South African focus here with our players. And that straight away, Faf Du Plessis was the one guy. He is not at the end of his career currently, but he is certainly in probably two years away from retiring as an active player. I mean, he really is fit. He’s still in great form. But we were thinking about if we can entice him away and bring him into our setup, you know, then once he is finished playing, he can come into, you know, a different role within the organisation when he’s a co-owner and he has equity and a stake in the team itself,” he said.

“And the same thing was with Klaasen. You know, he is the highest retained international player (for Sunrisers Hyderabad in IPL). We wanted him to play in our team. And again, with some equity being offered as a part of his payment structure. Faf is in a slightly different position as a captain, as a player and a co-owner. I am a co-owner and I’m stepping far away from the playing, the structure, the coaching side of things and letting the guys just do their own thing,” he added.

On the potential impact of the new franchise on Netherlands cricket, Rhodes observed that while the Netherlands is competitive, its player base has not grown sufficiently due to limited high-level cricket between World Cups. He said the ETPL aims to address this gap by providing quality cricket and training opportunities.

“The big thing is how much cricket they play. And South Africans, we know, to our detriment, we know the results of the Netherlands, they have beaten South Africa (in the 2022 T20 World Cup and 2023 Cricket World Cup). So, they are a team that competes well in T20s. But the base is not growing enough, just because of the lack of highly competitive cricket throughout the season. So you cannot just wait for World Cups,” he explained.

“And I think that is the difference that the ETPL is going to create. It is going to create this platform where younger players get an opportunity to play high-level cricket, to work with international stars and also international coaches, which is so important for the growth of the game. So that is what the ETPL is going to do.”

He continued, “And not just in the Netherlands, in Scotland and Ireland too. It is going to provide that layer below the international level, where it is not such a big jump. I think we have seen that with these, like the Netherlands team, when all 11 players are fit and they can pick them, they are very competitive. But should there be an injury or, you know, an inability to be selected two or three players, suddenly those young players coming in to fill the gap, there is a big jump from what they are accustomed to, to international cricket.”

“So we want the ETPL to do that, be the platform that provides high-intensity cricket and not just in that four-week window, but give the players time to come into South Africa, come to India for coaching, for training, with our squad members, with our coaches and that to make a difference in that way, to make a difference. And not just in those four weeks of the ETPL, but ensuring that we have the ability for players to learn and keep growing throughout the year,” he added.

Rhodes also commented on Klaasen’s strong form in the current Indian Premier League season with Sunrisers Hyderabad, attributing it to a lighter schedule following his retirement from international cricket last year. Klaasen has accumulated 414 runs in nine innings at an average of 59.14 and a strike rate of 157.14, including four half-centuries.

“If you look at his form in T20 cricket, maybe he has got that sort of form because he is enjoying, you know, the less pressure. You play international cricket, there is no downtime,” Rhodes said.

He recalled discussions prior to acquiring the Rotterdam franchise with du Plessis regarding players’ need for breaks from the demanding, year-round international cricket calendar featuring ICC events annually.

“So I think from that perspective, yes, maybe he is playing with such incredible freedom because he does not have to play international cricket. We saw Quinton de Kock come and retire, then come back into the international game and still perform well. But giving players a gap and a breather is what they need emotionally and mentally more than the physical side,” Rhodes said. “Klaasen is getting that downtime, he has time with his family, which is important,” he added.

Looking ahead to the Cricket World Cup next year, which South Africa will co-host with Zimbabwe and Namibia, Rhodes said the national team aims to win after years of reaching the semifinals or finals in ICC limited-overs tournaments, following their recent ICC World Test Championship victory last year.

On the goals for the Proteas, Rhodes stated, “Get to the final and win it. That is it. As simple as that.”