CSK to 'Not Even Use' Uncapped Player Rule to Retain MS Dhoni? CEO Says 'Haven't Had Any Discussions' as Deadline Nears

Joy and jubilation filled the once-anxious hearts and souls of the Anbu-Den’s faithful as CSK fans rejoiced upon hearing the reintroduction of the uncapped player rule in the newly-released IPL Player Regulations 2025-27.

The thought of getting to retain MS Dhoni for one more season soothed and overwhelmed the Chennai faithful.

But, no news of CSK establishing contact with the talisman or Dhoni himself confirming the same has come out yet. So, the question arises: Have the fans celebrated too early?

Ahead of the IPL 2025 Mega Auctions, the League’s Governing Council announced new player regulations with the teams allowed to now retain up to six players, with a maximum of five capped players and two uncapped players, through retention or the Right to Match (RTM) option.

The sweetest news of them all, especially for Chennai Super Kings, came in the seventh stipulation, which stated that Indian-capped players can be classified as uncapped if they haven’t played international cricket in the past five years.

Why is this sweet for CSK fans? Well, this means that MS Dhoni, CSK’s beloved talisman who last played for India back in July 2019, will be recognised as an uncapped player in the upcoming Mega Auction, making retaining ‘Thala’ a much easier and cheaper task for the team.

But, recent talks with CSK CEO Kasi Vishwanathan revealed some concerning details.

In an talk with TOI, Vishwanthan stated that it was still ‘too early’ for the franchise to finalise plans with MS Dhoni in the picture, stating that they still hadn’t established contact with him.

“We are not sure at this stage. We might not even use it for MS Dhoni. It’s still too early to comment on this because we haven’t had discussions with him,” stated Kasi Viswanathan to TOI.

“Dhoni was in the US and we haven’t had discussions yet. Now I am travelling this week, so there is a possibility of some discussions in the coming week. So there could be some clarity then,” Kasi reinstated.

“We are hopeful of him playing but it’s a call Dhoni will himself make.”

It would understandably be of paramount importance for CSK (and preferable even the IPL) that Dhoni’s retention is ensured, for financial and professional success.

But, Dhoni himself said he would wait and see how the rules are before taking a decision on whether he wishes to continue playing.

So, fans of CSK are left waiting with bated breath as the deadline for IPL teams to announce their retentions, which has been set as October 31 for now, nears to see whether or not ‘Anbu-Den’ Chepauk will witness yet another ‘Thala-darisanam’.