Former India cricketer Dinesh Karthik has stated that the IPL governing council reintroduced the ‘uncapped player’ retention rule only for one man and that is MS Dhoni.
According to the new retention rules, any player who has not played for India in the past five years will be considered 'uncapped' and can be retained for a significantly lower price.
“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,” an IPL Statement said.
This is good news for Chennai Super Kings as they can now retain MS Dhoni only for INR 4 Cr ahead of the IPL 2025 auction.
Dinesh Karthik, who announced his retirement from international and IPL cricket after IPL 2024, stated that his rule was made "only for one man" and that is MS Dhoni.
"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 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," Karthik told Cricbuzz.
"You can ask any TV broadcaster and you will get the answer that when this man steps on the field, the ratings go up. This is a fact. If you are going to do something that is going to help the league, why not? You don't want to bend and break the rules, but if it's a fair one, where all teams have been informed and they all feel it's fair, let's go ahead. Why not? He is a special cricketer," he added.
While MS Dhoni retired from international cricket in 2020, he has continued to play in IPL, winning the titles in 2021 and 2023 as CSK captain. He stepped down as captain ahead of IPL 2024, handing reins to Ruturaj Gaikwad.
