Retired Players In Uncapped Category? IPL Mulls Rule Changes Related To Retention

New Delhi [India], August 2 (ANI): As the Indian Premier League (IPL) gears up for its next season in 2025 and all the preceding activities like announcement of retention lists, auctions etc, a major rule that is a matter of debate is giving players, who retired from international for at least five years, the status of an 'uncapped player'.

The question was brought up during the meeting of the league authorities with owners of all franchises on Wednesday, who had all gathered to discuss the retention rules ahead of the next season, as per ESPNCricinfo.

The league authorities had brought up this question while discussing the matter of uncapped players and their retentions. The rule, allowing players being retired from international cricket for at least five years to be considered uncapped, was indeed present from 2008 to 2021 but was never put to use.

As per ESPNCricinfo, when the suggestion was made related to this rule's use on Wednesday, more than one franchise objected, which included the Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) owner Kavya Maran, who felt that the move would be disrespecting the retired player in question and their value.

She also said that it would set a "wrong precedent" if an uncapped player would be paid more than a former international player (who was retained by the franchise as an uncapped player). She also suggested that such players should become the part of the auction where the requirements and market of each team will determine their price.

Atleast one more other franchise owner expressed their disagreement with the rule, regardless of the number of years player had been retired from international cricket. The franchises however agreed that Indian players who had not played international cricket for five years should be allowed to lower their base prices at the auction. Currently, the lowest base price for capped Indian stars at the auction is Rs 50 lakh.

This particular suggestion is understood to have come from the league's CEO Hemang Amin, who feels that a lower base price will give players a bigger chance of being bought at the auction. The suggestion is understood to have come from the IPL chief operating officer Hemang Amin, whose view was that a lower base price would give such players a greater chance of getting bought at the auction.

A franchise head said that capped Indians who had not played internationals for several years were being forced to enter the auction at higher base prices and were therefore often going unsold despite going under the hammer more than once.

On Thursday, ESPNCricinfo had reported erroneously that suggestion to use this uncapped player rule had come from Chennai Super Kings (CSK) in order to retain MS Dhoni, who retired from international cricket in August 2020 and played his last international match for India in 2019. Ahead of the mega auction, Dhoni was retained by CSK for Rs 12 crores.

Dhoni played in the 2024 season of the league after a successful knee surgery. But despite all that, he was sometimes seen struggling and limping on the field. But these occasional struggles did not dampen his spirit to entertain fans. Coming down the order with very few balls left, Dhoni scored 161 runs in 11 innings at an average of 53.66 and a strike rate of 220.54, with best score of 37* and a total of 14 fours and 13 sixes in the season.

However, CSK could not qualify for playoffs as they fell just short of qualification due to a loss to Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB), finishing fifth with 14 points and a total of seven wins and losses each. In a recent event in Hyderabad, Dhoni had said that he would wait before the league finalised its rules related to retentions to make his decision.

Speaking at an event in Hyderabad, Dhoni said as quoted by ESPNCricinfo, "There is a lot of time for it. We have to see what decision they take on player retention etc. Right now, the ball is not in our court." "So, once the rules and regulations get formalised, I will take a call, but needs to be in the best interest of the team," he added. (ANI)

The questions regarding Dhoni's future in the IPL, the only tournament where he has played over the last few years, is doing rounds again. After a successful knee surgery in 2023, Dhoni played the 2024 season, but handed over the captaincy to Ruturaj Gaikwad.