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Former Australian all-rounder and ex-Sunrisers Hyderabad coach Tom Moody has backed the rule as per which MS Dhoni will be considered as an uncapped player in the Indian Premier League (IPL). Describing the rule as a great one, he in fact went one step ahead and opined that the present five-year window for Indian players to be considered uncapped should be brought down to three years.
After much suspense, the BCCI announced the IPL player regulations for the period 2025 to 2027 on September 28. One of the rules confirmed that 'A capped Indian player will become uncapped if the player has in the last five calendar years preceding the year in which the relevant Season is held, not played in the starting XI in International Cricket (Test match, ODI, Twenty20 International) or does not have a Central Contract with BCCI.'
There has been mixed response to bringing back the rule, which existed since the start of the IPL but was scrapped in 2021 since it was never used by any of the franchises. Some fans and critics reckon that the regulation has been brought back only for Dhoni.
Moody, however, is in favor of the rule making a comeback. Speaking on ESPN Cricinfo, he opined that legends like Dhoni playing in the IPL as long as they can perform can only be good for the T20 Ieague. The 59-year-old commented (as quoted by The Times of India):
"I think it's a great rule. I think it allows, if you are good enough and you have got longevity, it allows a player to continue to play on the big stage and perform and have some sort of role; without them, I suppose, you are making it difficult, from a price perspective, to retain those players because they might be the identity, or in Dhoni's case, certainly he is the identity of CSK.
"So, I don't think that's an issue at all. I think the longer the likes of iconic players like Dhoni can play in the IPL and can physically deliver like he has been, it's good for the tournament," the former Australian all-rounder added.
The ex-SRH coach further opined that the time frame of five years to be eligible as uncapped should be brought down to three years.
"I personally think five years is a long time; I would like to see it as a three-year window. Once a player has played his last international game, I think if you are out of international cricket or you haven't been considered to play for India over that three-year window, you should be given the right of passage to be able to come in at that four-crow level," Moody stated.
Apart from Dhoni, the likes of Piyush Chawla, Amit Mishra, Sandeep Sharma and Mohit Sharma will also fall in the uncapped category in the wake of the regulations announced for the upcoming IPL.
What the uncapped rule means for MS Dhoni and CSK
There is still no confirmation on whether Dhoni will play for Chennai Super Kings in IPL 2025. If he indeed decides to return to the T20 league for yet another year, the 43-year-old legend can be retained by CSK as an uncapped player for ₹4 crore.
The former India captain last represented India in international cricket during the 2019 ODI World Cup. He officially announced his retirement in August 2020.
