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In an interesting turn of events, the Chennai Super Kings (CSK) are reportedly trying to retain former captain MS Dhoni for IPL 2025 as an uncapped player. According to ESPNcricinfo, the franchise proposed to bring back an old rule, which allowed classifying players retired from international cricket for five years as uncapped, during the recent meeting between the owners of all 10 franchises.
The rule was part of IPL from 2008 till 2021 when it was scrapped on the teams' demand. However, the report said, other franchises apart from CSK weren't in favor of bringing back the rule, with one saying that they should not be seen as uncapped irrespective of how long they have been retired.
SunRisers Hyderabad (SRH) owner Kavya Maran even termed it disrespectful to the retired players because their value would be much more at the auction. She also felt this would set the wrong precedent as uncapped players bought at the auction would earn more than a former player classified as uncapped.
Dhoni, 43, retired from international cricket on August 15, 2020. That year, CSK made him their second retention for ₹12 crore after Ravindra Jadeja (₹16 crore). A retained uncapped player earned ₹4 crore that year.
The discussions about the number of retentions that'll be allowed for the next auction are ongoing with different franchises expressing contrasting needs.
MS Dhoni spoke about his retention on Thursday
Dhoni was asked about his future with CSK at an event in Hyderabad on Thursday. The former captain didn't commit anything and said he would do what was in the team's best interest after learning the number of retentions allowed.
"There is a lot of time for it," Dhoni said (via Cricbuzz). "We have to see what decision they take on player retention etc. Right now, the ball is not in our court. So, once the rules and regulations get formalised, I will take a call, but needs to be in the best interest of the team."
Other reports have suggested that if the IPL doesn't allow more than five or six retentions, the legendary former captain might join the team as a mentor.
