Chennai Super Kings retained captain Ruturaj Gaikwad (INR 18 crore), Matheesha Pathirana (INR 13 crore), Shivam Dube (INR 12 crore), Ravindra Jadeja (INR 18 crore) and MS Dhoni (INR 4 crore) ahead of the IPL 2025 auction. Dhoni’s retention dominated headlines and it was Rs 4 crore price tag that sparked quite a bit of conversation among fans and experts. The new IPL rule means that any player who has not played for India in the last 5 years will be considered ‘uncapped’. However, former India cricketers Mohammad Kaif and Sanjay Manjrekar took hilarious digs at the rule involving Dhoni.
“CSK have played really well. They have saved 10-15 crores. I feel that the way this rule was brought back because we were driven by emotions, and we all really wanted MS Dhoni to play another year…I feel CSK played very smartly there. Yes he is taking less money, but it would allow CSK to buy big names players at the auction,” he said on JioCinema.
“I feel whichever player plays for India, I was 36 when I last played an international match for India… now if I get dropped from the team, but continue to have a good IPL run, then I should not have come under the uncapped player rule. These are those players who have not played an international match yet. Yeh toh chal chal di CSK walein bariyan. And they played it so well, because we all became emotional, having git the opportunity to see Dhoni for another year in IPL. I feel CSK got the advantage of buying two extra players at the auction,” he added.
Manjrekar added that under the new rule, even Kaif and him will be considered ‘uncapped’ cricketers.
“This has been a reincarnation of Dhoni because this rule has been re-introduced only to bring him back. The positive thing is even you (Kaif) are an uncapped player now and so am I,” he said.
