The present India Champions team in the World Champions of Legends tournament consists of several ex-Indian cricket stars, particularly Suresh Raina, Yuvraj Singh and Harbhajan Singh.
Mahendra Singh Dhoni however is missing from this lineup because these are the BCCI rules. These regulations deny active Indian IPL players permission to play in other leagues even after Dhoni had retired from international cricket in 2020.
Dhoni who still plays in the Indian Premier League as an active player quit as a captain for Chennai Super Kings this season. Nevertheless, he was critical for CSK in 2024 where he scored 161 runs out of 14 games that had an impressive strike rate of 220.
This is why Dhoni is not allowed to join his friends in the World Champions of Legends tournament, despite no longer playing international cricket according to policy set by the BCCI.
However fans could not see Dhoni play alongside Raina, Harbhajan and Yuvraj on field but by being an IPL performing idol keeps Dhoni constantly named among top performers. It reveals that though his days as a finisher with CSK are gone, there are many who still reckon him as one of the greats in Indian cricket.
While attending Birmingham without him may appear strange; it only goes too far to underline his commitment towards IPL demonstrating how much he values the game.
India Champions Squad: Robin Uthappa, Naman Ojha (wk), Suresh Raina, Yuvraj Singh ©), Gurkeerat Singh Mann, Irfan Pathan, Yusuf Pathan, Vinay Kumar, Harbhajan Singh, Dhawal Kulkarni, Rahul Shukla, RP Singh, Saurabh Tiwary, Anureet Singh, Rahul Sharma, Ambati Rayudu, Pawan Negi.