M.S. Dhoni. File
| Photo Credit: The Hindu

Former India captain M.S. Dhoni is expected to be retained as an uncapped player by Chennai Super Kings, according to a report by ESPNcricinfo on Wednesday, October 30, 2024.

The report states that Dhoni will be one of five players the Chennai-based franchise plans to retain, alongside Ruturaj Gaikwad, Ravindra Jadeja, Shivam Dube, and Sri Lankan seamer Matheesha Pathirana, ahead of the IPL 2025 mega auction.

The 43-year-old former India captain is set to be retained as an uncapped player after the IPL introduced a new rule allowing franchises to retain players in the uncapped category if they have not played international cricket for five years.

Following CSK’s unexpected exit in the group stage of IPL 2024, Dhoni has remained reserved about his plans for the league’s next season. The deadline for all ten franchises to submit their list of retained players is set for October 31, in advance of the mega auction.

This edition offers CSK the option to retain Dhoni as an uncapped player, thanks to the reinstated rule scrapped in 2021, which allows players who retired from international cricket for five years to be considered uncapped.

Earlier this month, speaking at an event in Goa, Dhoni shared how professional sport often makes it difficult for players to purely enjoy the game. The 43-year-old said he now wants to savour cricket for the next few years.”I just want to enjoy whatever last few years of cricket I am able to play, like when we used to go out to play at 4 p.m. during our childhood, simply enjoying the game. But in professional sports, it becomes challenging to enjoy it as just a game. There are emotions and commitments, but I want to enjoy it for the next few years,” Dhoni said.

Dhoni last represented India in the 2019 ODI World Cup semi-final against New Zealand, a match that ended in disappointment for India. Since his retirement in 2020, Dhoni has only appeared in the IPL. In the 2024 season, he scored 161 runs at a strike rate of 220, fulfilling the role of a finisher for the five-time champions.