Ireland’s victory in the first T20 match against India may be shocking to many, but if we look at history, the result is not that surprising. Irish players have always performed above their weight and how can one forget his debut in the 2007 World Cup, where Ireland stunned Pakistan. Four years later, Kevin O’Brien played an innings for the ages as Ireland chased down over 300 to defeat England at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru. However, June 26 was perhaps a red-letter day in Irish cricket history, as the hosts defeated the defending T20 World Cup 2026 champions, India, in Belfast.
The odds were huge against the team led by Lorcan Tucker. First, India sent a full-strength squad to Ireland for a two-match T20I series, and before the first match, the hosts lost six to eight players to injuries. However, Ireland have never been ones to go down without a fight and Tucker led from the front with a half-century. He and Gareth Delany ensured that Ireland scored over 180 runs on the board.
Debutants Jai Mundhra and Matthew Hollard took the ball for Ireland and India could only score 148 runs and lost the game by 34 runs. As soon as Tim Tector took the final catch, the entire crowd of about 5,000 people gathered at the Civil Service Cricket Club.
Only time will tell what the impact of this victory will be, but Cricket Ireland President Brian McNeice believes that this victory is the beginning of something special. He even believes that this win will be great for the development of the ETPL (European T20 Premier League), which starts this August. Speaking to Hindustan Times Digital a day after Ireland’s famous win, Brian spoke about the expectations from the European leagues as well as the fanfare that young Vaibhav Suryavanshi is enjoying in Ireland at the moment.
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It would be surreal to see Ireland defeat India. Has the feeling sunk in yet?
This is a very important moment in Irish cricket. This is the first time that we have beaten India and I think everyone enjoyed the occasion. I’m particularly happy for the players and the coaches because they’ve put so much hard work into this, and they don’t always get the rewards of that hard work, but yesterday was one of those days when it all came together and yes, really, great joy for everyone involved. This is a real boost for Irish and European cricket.
Ireland has always punched above its weight. Who can forget the win against Pakistan in 2007? What is the secret behind the success story of Irish cricket?
We produce some very talented cricketers, and I know that if we give them more exposure and more opportunities to play at the top level, they will show how good they are. You saw it in the first T20I. We went into the first T20I with injuries to seven or eight of our front-line players. There were a number of debutants yesterday who performed really well, and what that tells us is that there is a lot of talent in Irish cricket.
If we continue to provide them with more opportunities to play against the best teams in the world, and we also give them the opportunity to play with and against the best players in the world in the European T20 Premier League, that will accelerate their growth and development, and you will see more days like yesterday from the Irish team.
Let me ask you about the wonderful child Vaibhav Suryavanshi. Have you ever seen such enthusiasm in a 15 year old child? And is there any palpable excitement to see the youngster make his Ireland debut?
There is a real excitement. Like, you know, talking to people is incredible. The excitement and buzz it has created here, the fact that he is here and could potentially make his debut in Ireland has really lit up the imagination of everyone who loves cricket in Ireland. You know, he’s an incredible talent. And it will be a real honor and privilege to see him take his first steps in international cricket here. You know, we will be watching him play international cricket for decades to come.
And so to see the beginning of that journey will be very, very special. And I think it will be, once again, another kind of historic day for Irish cricket and the history of Irish cricket if he makes his debut here in Ireland tomorrow.
Do you think a win over India will provide an ideal launchpad for the European T20 league later this year?
I would sincerely hope so. The win in the first T20I proved that Ireland have really high quality cricketers; The same is true in Scotland and the Netherlands, and in fact, you saw what Italy did in the last T20 World Cup. So, there are some really top-class players across Europe, and the European T20 Premier League will showcase that talent, provide a mechanism for the next generation of talent to come through and develop, and we have also attracted some of the best players from around the world.
Franchise leagues have a very international dimension, and this is reflected in the ownership model. The ETPL founders, member boards and franchise owners have taken a collective vision about the growth and development of the game across Europe, and I am really excited about what the ETPL is going to bring. As the game is developing, I spent a bit of time walking around the grounds and talking to some fans and talking to them about the ETPL, and you can feel the excitement, and they want, they have a hunger to see more top-level international cricket, and they’re going to do that with the ETPL.
ETPL also has several Indian owners. How important is it to have Indian owners in a foreign league to increase popularity?
It is important that the ETPL has a platform to showcase the best players in Europe and to a lesser extent India, so India’s participation in the league is important, but we have also gone beyond that. Obviously, apart from Raul Dravid, who is kind of the owner of Dublin Guardians, we have Steve Waugh, we have Jonty Rhodes in the ownership structure and then within the player groups, some of the players that have signed up for the franchises are some of the best players in the world and they are really excited to come to Europe and play in the European leagues.
So I think what we want to do with the ETPL is to showcase the potential of European cricket so that everyone in India can watch it, appreciate it and get behind it. And indeed, I believe that a strong, growing European cricket ecosystem is good for the global game. Europe has more member states than any other region of the world. After Asia, the European index ranks second in terms of fan followers and digital engagement. I fundamentally believe in the potential for the sport to grow in Europe, and I think it’s good for the sport globally. A strong European cricket system would be really good for the global game and its strength and growth.
And so the ETPL is a fundamental building block of strengthening cricket in Europe, and I think it’s in everyone’s interest, therefore, to support it, get behind it, get excited about it. I’m incredibly excited about it. I know there are founders, franchise owners, board members, players, and everyone is bought into the vision of what we’re building, which is a long-term platform to grow the game in Europe, and it should be exciting for everyone. So yes, the more we can highlight this in India and beyond, the better.
What is one thing you are really looking forward to in ETPL? What will be the biggest yardstick to gauge the success of the first season of the tournament?
I am curious about the quality of cricket. Each member country has great cricketers who are at the heart of the ETPL. The list of players contracted on an international basis is impressive. So what you are going to see is really high quality cricket. In my opinion, after IPL, this is going to be the next best franchise league in terms of the quality of cricket played.
And it will give players a platform that some people may not be aware of. I am aware of them. I know how good they are. And I think it will help the rest of the world see how good some of the players in Europe are. And especially, when they are playing with and against some of the best players from around the world. So yes, for me, that is what is going to be the biggest success factor here, the ability and quality of cricket, because everything else will take care of itself.
If we have got a high quality cricket product, then everything else happens automatically. And that is exactly what we are going to achieve with ETPL. Because of the quality of the founders, franchise owners, contracted players and emerging talent in European cricket. So I have no doubt that the quality of the cricket will speak for itself. And once that happens, everything else follows.
