The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) is likely to bring back the rule which puts players retired from international cricket for at least five years in the uncapped category when they announce the player regulations ahead of the 2025 edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL).
The rule, which was in place since the first season, was scrapped in 2021 because it was never used. It came up for discussion again during the meeting between owners of IPL franchises and BCCI last month where Chennai Super Kings (CSK) management pressed for return of the rule.
It’s understood that there wasn’t much support for CSK’s suggestion from other franchises on July 31 but the Indian cricket board is strongly considering to bring it back. If brought back, the rule would allow CSK to retain MS Dhoni as an uncapped player and allow them to retain most of their capped core.
“There is a bright possibility of the rule coming back. It was discussed at length during the meeting last month and could well be brought back when the player regulations are announced,” says a well-placed source.
As per the last retention policy, an uncapped player would cost a franchise only Rs 4 crore. This could well allow Dhoni to continue playing for CSK without burning a hole in the salary purse. Ahead of the 2022 mega auctions, CSK had retained Dhoni for Rs 12 crore.
Dhoni handed over CSK captaincy to Ruturaj Gaikwad before the start of IPL 2024 and played the entire season where he scored 161 runs at a strike-rate of 220.55. He would generally come out to bat when not many deliveries were left but made a lot of impact in the 73 deliveries he faced.
At an event in Hyderabad this month, the former CSK skipper spoke on playing in the IPL and he would wait for the player regulations before taking the call.
“There is a lot of time for it. 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,” Dhoni had said.
The rule has been talk of the town for a couple of weeks now and R Ashwin also feels the former India captain is not a capped player anymore.
“Will Dhoni play as an uncapped player? That’s a big question mark. The point is correct. He hasn’t played international cricket for many years. He has retired. So, he is an uncapped player. He is not a capped player,” Ashwin said on his official YouTube channel.
“Can a player like Dhoni play as an uncapped player? That is another conversation. Obviously, if someone talks about Dhoni, everyone will talk about it,” the off-spinner added.
The return of the rule will be welcome news for both CSK and Dhoni fans as it could allow them at least one more season of seeing their Thala in action.
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