File image of MS Dhoni.© BCCI/IPL
Shaji Ul Mulk, T Ten Global Sports Founder and Chairman, believes the prospect of seeing India icon MS Dhoni in the T10 format could be a possibility. Meanwhile, uncertainty continues to loom over MS Dhoni's involvement in the cash-rich Indian Premier League (IPL) with the Chennai Super Kings. Concerns over Dhoni's participation remain due to his age, knee injury and being tight-lipped about his possible plans of retirement after CSK suffered an exit in the group stage. There has been no word in the rumour mill about Dhoni still wanting to compete in the top T20 league.
Top former and current stars have shown their class in the T10 format, including former Australia star David Warner.
With the likes of former India stars including Robin Uthappa, Suresh Raina, Irfan Pathan and many more, taking part in the different T10 leagues, the prospect of seeing Dhoni in the format remains a possibility.
"Absolutely, I think outside of the top level of international cricketers playing, current India internationals are not allowed to play outside of the Indian Premier League. The recently retired players, almost all the big names of India, have come to play T10. So yes, we can expect MS Dhoni to be playing T10 when he makes up his mind," Shaji told ANI.
The ten franchises, including the two new ones, Bolts Ajman and UP Nawabs, joined the other eight featuring New York Strikers, Deccan Gladiators, Northern Warriors, Morrisville Samp Army, Delhi Bulls, Bangla Tigers, Team Abu Dhabi and Chennai Brave Jaguars - to complete their rosters.
A total of 179 international megastars will participate in the 2024 Abu Dhabi T10, making it the biggest season ever.
Players from 11 different nations were drafted, showcasing the truly global nature of the Abu Dhabi T10. Leading the selections were 20 players from the West Indies, 17 from the UAE, 15 from Sri Lanka, and 14 from Pakistan. Afghanistan contributed 11, while nine English, five Zimbabwean, three Bangladeshi, three Australian, and two each from New Zealand and South Africa were also picked, highlighting the tournament's international appeal.
Matthew Boucher, Abu Dhabi Cricket CEO, believes that the format can take off on a global level and said, "It seems like T10 is having a fantastic couple of years. From our perspective, we absolutely love it. It is something that is taking to take off on a global perspective."
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