Even without playing a single IPL match this season, MS Dhoni continues to command unmatched popularity in world cricket. The legendary former India captain remains one of the sport’s biggest global icons, and now ETPL co-founder Abhishek Bachchan has revealed that he would love to see Dhoni feature in the upcoming European T20 Premier League.

Speaking to PTI in Dublin during an ETPL event, Abhishek Bachchan instantly named Dhoni when asked which Indian cricketer he would most like to bring into the league. “Mahendra Singh Dhoni,” Bachchan replied without hesitation.

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The actor and entrepreneur further explained that Dhoni’s presence alone would elevate any tournament because of the massive fan following and aura he still carries despite retiring from international cricket in 2020. “Do you even need a reason why you would want to see Mahendra Singh Dhoni playing cricket?” Bachchan added.

Although Dhoni remains part of the Chennai Super Kings setup, he has missed IPL 2026 due to a calf injury suffered ahead of the season. Still, his influence on the game remains enormous, both commercially and emotionally, especially among cricket fans worldwide.

Bachchan also acknowledged the difficulties of bringing active Indian cricketers into overseas franchise leagues because of existing Board of Control for Cricket in India regulations. Under current BCCI rules, Indian male players contracted to the board cannot participate in overseas T20 leagues unless they retire from all Indian cricket, including the IPL.

“We would have loved current Indian cricketers to be part of ETPL, but BCCI regulations do not allow that. Of course, we will miss them because it would have been wonderful to have Indian stars involved,” he said.

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However, Bachchan remains optimistic about the tournament’s future, pointing out that several international stars are already connected with the league. The European T20 Premier League is scheduled to run from August 26 to September 20 and aims to expand cricket’s reach across Europe through a franchise-based model.

The tournament has already attracted major names from the cricketing world. Rahul Dravid recently joined as co-owner of the Dublin Guardians franchise, while legends like Steve Waugh, Jonty Rhodes and Glenn Maxwell are also associated with different franchises in the league.