India’s veteran off-spinner, Ravichandran Ashwin, expressed his curiosity about the potential decision to retain MS Dhoni as an uncapped player in the Indian Premier League (IPL). Speaking on the topic on his YouTube channel, Ashwin was heard saying, “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."
Ashwin further remarked, “He has retired. So, he is an uncapped player. He is not a capped player. Can a player like Dhoni play as an uncapped player? That is another conversation."
From 2008 to 2021, the Indian Premier League had a rule stipulating that a player who had been retired from international cricket for five years or more was considered an uncapped player. The whole buzz about Dhoni’s possible retention as an uncapped played started after a recent meeting of the IPL franchises to discuss the retention rules for the IPL auction 2025
An ESPNcricinfo report claimed that when the suggestion to bring back the scrapped rule was made during the meeting, many franchises raised their objection. The suggestion to retain a retired player as ‘uncapped’ was made by the Chennai Super Kings (CSK). The five-time winners wanted to use the rule to retain MS Dhoni, who retired from international cricket in August 2020.
The issue of treating retired cricketers as uncapped players was raised earlier this month by Sunrisers Hyderabad CEO Kavya Maran. In a conversation with CricBuzz, Kavya said she was completely against the idea.
“When new uncapped players get more money in the auction, it sets a wrong precedent to allow senior players to be retained as uncapped. Let the auction dictate the value and calibre of the retired player, thereby respecting their contribution to the game over the years," she said.
Amidst all the drama, MS Dhoni still has not confirmed his participation in the 2025 IPL season.
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