As the countdown to IPL 2025 begins, speculation surrounding former India captain MS Dhoni’s future with the Chennai Super Kings (CSK) intensifies. According to the new IPL retention rules, CSK could retain Dhoni as an ‘uncapped player’ for as low as Rs 4 crore. However, no official confirmation has been provided by either Dhoni or the franchise.

Reports from Sports Tak indicate that Dhoni has yet to confirm his availability and is expected to meet with CSK officials on either October 29 or 30. The deadline for franchises to submit their retention lists is October 31, which adds urgency to the situation. It has been noted that Dhoni has informed CSK management that he will be unavailable for meetings until October 28, with decisions on his retention pending further discussions.

CSK CEO Viswanathan expressed hope that one of the franchise’s most celebrated players would confirm his participation before the deadline. “We still have no confirmation from him, but we would love for him to continue playing for us. I hope he will confirm before October 31,” Viswanathan stated to ESPNcricinfo.

The IPL has reinstated a rule that allows players to be considered uncapped even if they retired from international cricket five years ago, enabling CSK to retain Dhoni under this category if he agrees. If he does confirm his availability, the 43-year-old could be retained for just Rs 4 crore, which would be a minor expenditure from CSK’s total budget of Rs 120 crore. Each IPL franchise can retain up to six players before the mega auction for the upcoming season.

Dhoni’s last international appearance was in the 2019 ODI World Cup semi-final against New Zealand, after which he retired from international cricket in 2020. Since then, he has exclusively played in the IPL, where he scored 161 runs at a strike rate of 220 during the 2024 season, primarily serving as a finisher for the five-time champions.