‘Hope he will confirm…’ - MS Dhoni undecided over IPL 2025 participation, says CSK's Kasi Viswanathan

Former Chennai Super Kings (CSK) captain MS Dhoni remains undecided on his IPL future yet, according to the franchise’s CEO Kasi Viswanathan, who says that they hope he (Dhoni) gives his confirmation before the submission deadline (Oct 31). Per the latest reports, CSK's top brass is awaiting Dhoni’s decision before listing their retention list ahead of the IPL 2025 mega auction later next month.

"We have still no confirmation from him, though we will like him to continue playing for us," Viswanathan said in a chat with ESPNcricinfo. "Hope he will confirm before 31st [October]."

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Meanwhile, the IPL’s governing council and the BCCI kept October 31 as the deadline for all teams to submit their final retention list. 

With the reintroduction of an IPL rule, scrapped in 2021, any player who last played for his country at least five years ago is eligible to play as an uncapped player. MS Dhoni, who announced his international retirement on August 20, 2020, ticks this box, becoming eligible to play as an uncapped player for CSK should he be retained.

While Dhoni’s last international tournament was the 2019 ODI World Cup in England, which the hosts won, Dhoni played in the cash-rich league since. 

Before the start of IPL 2024, Dhoni relinquished the CSK captaincy, handing over the baton to opener Ruturaj Gaikwad. In his first season as the new CSK skipper, Gaikwad failed to guide CSK to the playoffs.

MS Dhoni, however, with a troubled knee, scored 161 runs at a whopping strike rate of 220 as a finisher.

For how much can CSK retain MS Dhoni?

Should MS give a green signal about his IPL 2025 participation, CSK would retain their former captain for just INR 4 crore from the 120-crore auction purse.

All 10 IPL teams are allowed to retain a maximum of six players ahead of the IPL 2025 mega auction, of which a maximum of five can be capped internationals, leaving room for an uncapped player. 

Besides, the IPL has set the minimum deduction from the purse auction for each player retained (order wise) – with the first player to cost a franchise INR 18 crore, the second INR 14 crore, INR 11 crore for the third one, INR 18 crore for the next, and INR 14 crore for the fifth and final player, though the teams are free to pay more than these figures to their retained players.

Last-year runners-up, SunRisers Hyderabad (SRH), is the only team to have made their retention list public, with them paying INR 23 crore to Heinrich Klaasen, INR 18 crore to their captain Pat Cummins, and INR 14 crore to opener Abhishek Sharma. 

(With inputs from agencies)