The Chennai Super Kings (CSK) are eagerly awaiting confirmation on whether their iconic captain MS Dhoni will feature in the 2025 Indian Premier League (IPL) season. According to CSK’s CEO, Kasi Viswanathan, Dhoni has yet to confirm his availability for the upcoming season, but the franchise remains hopeful.
“We still have no confirmation from him, though we would like him to continue playing for us,” Viswanathan on Dhoni’s availability. “We hope he will confirm before October 31,” he added, referring to the deadline by which all IPL franchises must submit their lists of retained players.
The deadline is significant for CSK as it is the cutoff for retaining players ahead of the IPL mega auction. Dhoni, who retired from international cricket in 2020 following his last appearance for India at the 2019 ODI World Cup, is eligible to be retained by CSK as an uncapped player. This is thanks to a new retention rule of IPL, which allows players who have been retired from international cricket for at least five years to be classified as “uncapped” for retention purposes. This rule, scrapped in 2021, now opens the door for Dhoni to be retained under more favorable terms for the franchise.
Dhoni’s contributions in the 2024 IPL season remain fresh in the minds of fans and franchise officials alike. Though he handed over the captaincy to Ruturaj Gaikwad, Dhoni continued to play a pivotal role in CSK’s success. The legendary wicketkeeper-batsman scored 161 runs at a blistering strike rate of 220, excelling as a finisher during the season.
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Retaining Dhoni would be a major boost for CSK, both in terms of leadership and fan engagement, but the franchise stands to benefit financially as well. If CSK opts to retain Dhoni as an uncapped player, they will only lose INR 4 crore from their auction purse of INR 120 crore. This would be a relatively small deduction, considering the other financial obligations teams face with retaining their top players.
Each IPL franchise is allowed to retain up to six players ahead of the 2025 mega auction, with a maximum of five being capped internationals. The retention rules include minimum deductions from the auction purse, with franchises paying INR 18 crore for their first retained player, INR 14 crore for the second, INR 11 crore for the third, INR 18 crore for the fourth, and INR 14 crore for the fifth.
While CSK is expected to retain Dhoni, they have to balance this decision with the retention of other key players, as they prepare for a strong showing in the 2025 season.
In other franchise news, Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) are set to retain their star players, including Heinrich Klaasen for a whopping INR 23 crore, Pat Cummins for INR 18 crore, and Abhishek Sharma for INR 14 crore.
As the clock ticks down to the deadline, the cricketing world waits in anticipation to see if MS Dhoni will once again lead CSK into the IPL battle for another season.
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