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After Ajinkya Rahane, another retired Indian cricketer, Vijay Shankar, is confirmed to play in the inaugural edition of the European T20 Premier League (ETPL). Shankar joins the Dublin Guardians squad, as confirmed by Cricinfo on August 14.
Shankar is the second Indian cricketer in the team, after Ravichandran Ashwin. Ashwin has been appointed as the captain of the team. New Zealand batter Daryl Mitchell is part of the set-up as part of their overseas signings.
Vijay Shankar retired from Indian cricket to explore the other leagues around the globe
Vijay Shankar announced his retirement on May 22, 2026, from Indian domestic cricket and the Indian Premier League (IPL) at age 35 to pursue overseas franchise league opportunities. His upcoming stint will mark the all-rounder’s second franchise T20 league since his retirement.
After retiring from the national team and from the IPL, Vijay Shankar featured in multiple leagues, including Sri Lanka’s Lanka Premier League (LPL) with the Kandy Royals. For Kandy, the pace-bowling all-rounder scored 150 runs in nine innings at a strike rate of 145.63 as the finisher of the team.
Vijay Shankar's domestic career in a brief
The Tamil Nadu-born player represented Team India across all white-ball formats of the game. In ODIs, the all-rounder scored 223 runs in 12 games at an average of 31.85 and a strike rate of 90.65, and in the T20I format, he got 101 runs in nine matches at 25.25 and a strike rate of 138.35.
His stats in domestic cricket are more impressive than his numbers for the Indian cricket team. In domestic cricket, Shankar mostly played for Tamil Nadu. He captained the state team in the Vijay Hazare Trophy, Deodhar Trophy, and Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy. Ahead of the 2025-26 season, he shifted his base from Tamil Nadu to Tripura.
In his overall domestic cricket career, the all-rounder scored 4,253 runs in first-class cricket at an average of 46.73, 2790 List A runs at 34.87, and 2583 T20 runs at an average of 26.09 and a strike rate of 128.37. With the ball, with his controlled line, length, and variations, Shankar got 154 wickets in 348 games across formats.
Vijay Shankar won the IPL trophy with the Sunrisers Hyderabad
He was one of the most consistent all-rounders in the Indian Premier League as well when he was at his prime. In the league, he played for the Chennai Super Kings, Sunrisers Hyderabad, Delhi Daredevils, and Gujarat Titans before retiring. In 2016, Shankar won the trophy with the Sunrisers Hyderabad.
Expectations will be high on the experienced Indian all-rounder when he will be in action for the Dublin Guardians. The ETPL is scheduled to start from August 26 to September 20 in Ireland, Scotland, and the Netherlands. Worth noting, former cricketer and world cup winning former coach Rahul Dravid is the co-owner of the Dublin Guardians.
Dublin Guardians squad
R Ashwin (capt), Vijay Shankar, Harry Tector, George Dockrell, James Vince, Daryl Mitchell, Muhammad Waseem, Noah Croes, Ben Calitz, Harmeet Singh, Josh Little, Matthew Hollard, Craig Young, Chris Greaves, Peter Hatzoglou, Sanjay Krishnamurthi, Chris Wood.
