IPL 2025: Seeking to milk the MS Dhoni brand again as ‘uncapped’ player

No individual, they say, is greater than the sport. Things are, however, different if one is talking about a certain Mahendra Singh Dhoni and the IPL (Indian Premier League).

It’s no longer a secret that the IPL 2025 mega auction retention rules, announced by the BCCI (Board of Control for Cricket in India) last Sunday, has brought back an old rule that each franchise can retain one ‘uncapped’ Indian player for no more than Rs 4 crore with an eye to extending 'Captain Cool’s' lease as a player for one more season. This is in addition to the maximum of five players each side can retain for the upcoming season, including the right to match (RTM) cards.

The uncapped player rule has been in force since 2008 but was removed in 2022, the eligibility criterion being Indian players who haven’t played an international game in more than five years. While this opens up the option for teams to retain one seasoned campaigner who has been out of national reckoning but can bring value to the team (with the impact player rule in place), it opens the door for Chennai Super Kings (CSK) to retain their thala (leader).

The BCCI statement defined an uncapped player on the day the retention policy was announced as: ‘’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. This will be applicable for Indian Players only.’’

It’s almost a masterstroke by the IPL governing council to bring back the rule at will, since it would have been untenable for five-time champions CSK to retain the 43-year-old Dhoni among the stipulated retention quota of four or five players. There can, of course, be legitimate questions as to whether the cash-rich league is trying to ride piggyback on the Dhoni brand once again, given that the multiple World Cup-winning captain already enjoyed a nationwide send-off during IPL 2023.   

Asked about the implication of retaining uncapped players with an eye on keeping MSD in action for one more year, at least two experts see nothing wrong with it. Speaking to Cricbuzz, Dinesh Karthik, who will be seen as a batting mentor for Royal Challengers Bengaluru next season said: ‘’Everybody talks about it. This rule is made for one man and I am for it through and through. This man has been such a major part of what this IPL has been all about.

"If everybody is in a happy place, be it BCCI, be it any of the teams, be it how the league has performed over the years and how it has kept players so happy over the last 15-18 years, this man has played a major role.’’

Mohammed Kaif, former international and now a TV pundit, told Star Sports: ‘’We will get to see M.S. Dhoni playing again. He is fit, he is batting aggressively and is good behind the stumps too. As long as he wants to play, the rules keep getting changed. You've got to change the rules, or do whatever you want, to let Dhoni play if he wants to play, he is that big a player and matchwinner for CSK.’’

However, Dhoni isn’t the only player who can be retained in this way. Here is the full list of nine former India players who can be retained as ‘uncapped’ as per the new rules:

Mahendra Singh Dhoni (CSK)

Piyush Chawla (Mumbai Indians)

Sandeep Sharma (Rajasthan Royals)

Rishi Dhawan (Punjab Kings)

Mayank Markande (Sunrisers Hyderabad)

Vijay Shankar (Gujarat Titans)

Mohit Sharma (Gujarat Titans)

Amit Mishra (Lucknow Super Giants)

Karn Sharma (Royal Challengers Bengaluru)