IPL 2025: CSK land MS Dhoni as 'uncapped' player, but does the move make any sense?

Curtains were finally lifted on the Indian Premier League (IPL) retentions as all 10 franchises made their first move for the next season. One of the big names in the conversation was Chennai Super Kings (CSK) legend who will don the IPL hat in its 18th season in 2025. While the retention is a big bonus for fans, the franchise could pay a big prize for a player who turned 43 in July. So will the CSK move to retain a player of Dhoni’s caliber pay off?

Background

At 43, it is unlikely that Dhoni will play for CSK for the next three years and could have paved the way for another uncapped retention had he decided to retire. However, his retention under the uncapped player rule means the franchise will lose only ₹40 million ($480,000) from their spending purse. After IPL 2024, Tushar Deshpande and young Rajvardhan Hangargekar could have been at the top of the list for CSK had the uncapped rule not changed.

But the new rule meant that MS Dhoni who had not played international cricket for five years was eligible as an uncapped player while Tushar’s two international caps during the Zimbabwe tour made him eligible. This left CSK franchise to decide on either Hangargekar or Dhoni to get retained. Part of the Indian U-19 World Cup winning squad in 2022, Hangargekar was paid a whopping ₹15 million ($180,000) at the auctions. However, since his move, he has been a squad player and not of more commercial value.

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Why does MS Dhoni's retention at CSK make sense?

With Hangargekar also out of sight, CSK’s only option technically was MS Dhoni and they bought him for cheap. While he won’t be a great contributor on the field, his presence in the team is of great commercial value to the side and the Indian Premier League. Even at 43, Dhoni’s commercial value attracts a huge fan base and TRP for television.

In IPL 2024, fans were seen splashing a big sum on travel, tickets and merchandise to get a glimpse of Dhoni. On the other hand, Jio, a digital streaming partner of IPL had a special ‘star-cam’ for Dhoni during his IPL matches which solely focused on him. This contributed to the TRP and digital ratings of the channel.

While figures can’t be confirmed, Dhoni’s presence generates a big sum (likely to be 20 times his current value) for both CSK and IPL and other sponsors, making his move a commercial success rather than an on-field success.