Michael Vince and Alex Hales, two big names from England cricket, just made a move that caught folks off guard. They’ve both registered for the new Belgium T20 Cricket League (BT20L), set to kick off in summer 2026.
This announcement, coming on February 4, 2026, via official league channels, has put a spotlight on the BT20L. It’s a fresh chapter for both players, especially Vince, as they look to keep up their T20 game in Europe.
Their involvement aims to give the league a big boost, raising its international profile from the get-go. These guys are joining other overseas players in what the Royal Belgian Cricket League (RBCL) hopes will be a proper professional competition. It feels like Belgium’s cricket scene just got a shot in the arm.
Belgium’s Cricket Ambition Takes Flight
The BT20L is a genuine professional T20 competition. The Royal Belgian Cricket League (RBCL) put it together. It’s going to feature eight teams, split into two divisions, meaning plenty of cricket. They’re not messing around.
It’s 20-over matches, with each team playing 32 league games before playoffs. The total prize money? Half a million Euros. That’s a decent sum.
Games are scheduled for the grounds in Louvain-la-Neuve and Antwerp. This isn’t just a local amateur contest. The BT20L is the first professional T20 league in Belgium, a sign of changing times for cricket development in Europe.
The ICC Europe has been pushing T20 growth in non-Test nations, and Belgium, with its 25 affiliated clubs and 1,200 registered players, is now stepping up. It’s a big step post-2024 ECB Europe funding changes, too.
Veterans Chase New T20 Action
Michael Vince, now 43, is a right-handed batsman and handy off-spin bowler. He’s played a lot of T20 cricket, 309 matches to be exact.
He’s got 6,968 runs at an average of 29.03, plus 132 wickets. He was playing professionally as recently as The Hundred in 2025 for Southern Brave, scoring 245 runs in 8 innings at a strike rate of 138.42, and grabbing 5 wickets. That’s still a solid performer.
Alex Hales, 37, is a pure opening batsman. His T20 record is huge: 689 matches, 22,545 runs at an average of 32.84, with a strike rate of 145.21. He had a good IPL stint with Rajasthan Royals in 2025, getting 324 runs in 12 matches.
Then there was his Blast form too, 512 runs in 14 innings at a strike rate of 168.42. The man can still hit a ball. ESPNcricinfo profiles show he’s been a T20 globetrotter.
Both players had to pay a €5,000 registration fee. This signals their commitment. For Hales, it could be about keeping himself sharp for potential IPL calls, a backup plan. For Vince, it’s a good post-retirement gig after the major leagues. It’s a way for them to keep playing competitive cricket and earn some cash.
The Road to the Auction and Beyond
The BT20L was announced back on December 15, 2025, with player registration opening in January 2026. Vince and Hales got their names on the official player pool on February 4. This moved fast. RBCL’s timeline shows everything is on schedule.
Pierre Dubois, the RBCL Chairman, sees this as a major coup. He stated, “Securing players of Vince and Hales’ caliber elevates BT20L to a competitive platform for European cricket development.” You can tell they’re aiming high.
Vince’s agent put out a statement, saying he’s “excited to bring experience to Belgium’s growing cricket scene post-retirement from major leagues.” Hales, on his Instagram, simply posted, “Registered for BT20L – looking forward to T20 action in Europe this summer.” No ambiguity there. They’re ready for it.
The player auction is set for March 15, 2026, in Brussels. That’s when these two, and the 43 other registered players, including 10 more overseas cricketers, find out where they’ll play. The league runs for a tight window, June 1-15, 2026. It’s a quick, intense burst of T20 action for what looks like a league with some serious ambition.
Soureesh Datta 
Sagnik Banerjee