File photo of MS Dhoni© BCCI/Sportzpics
The 'Thala' MS Dhoni remains tight-lipped over his continuity in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025 as a player. After Chennai Super Kings confirmed that they are yet to hold talks with Dhoni over his potential retention as a player, a report has claimed that the two parties are scheduled to have a chat during a meeting in mid-October. The IPL Governing Council, earlier, decided to bring back an old rule, making retired Indian players (those who haven't played international cricket for 5 years) eligible to be selected as uncapped players in the team.
The rule allows CSK to register Dhoni as an uncapped player, retaining him in the INR 4 crore category, and freeing up funds for other players ahead of the auction. As per a report in Cricbuzz, Dhoni has returned from his US trip and is expected to hold talks with CSK in the coming week or two.
The ten IPL franchises can retain up to six players from their IPL 2024 squad, including a maximum of five capped players (Indian & overseas) and a maximum of two uncapped players ahead of the mega auction.
Former India cricketer Ajay Jadeja feels Dhoni will surely be among those retentions.
"MS Dhoni for sure. There's no doubt about that, especially because he's now an uncapped player. He's done a lot for the team and has no desire to be treated as the No. 1 player on the squad. His value is unquestioned.
"Ruturaj Gaikwad is the captain, and he's had a good year, so you'll hope to retain him as well. Ravindra Jadeja can't be left out either, so these three, I think, are perfect for them," said Jadeja on JioCinema.
Ex-India batter Aakash Chopra thinks the Right to Match card (RTM) will be of advantage to CSK, the five-time IPL champions. "I don't think they'll retain five players. They might go for 3-4. I see two players worth 18 CR in Ruturaj Gaikwad and Ravindra Jadeja. If you want to keep them, you have to match that price. Other than that, they have MS Dhoni, Shivam Dube, and Matheesha Pathirana.
"I think they'll keep Dube and use the RTM card for Deepak Chahar, maybe, depending on his fitness. The price for these players is really high, so the RTM card could be useful to get players for cheaper. If Dube is sold in the auction, he might fetch over 10 or 11 crores."
With IANS Inputs