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In a big news, which has been making rounds on social media, former India and Chennai Super Kings (CSK) captain, Mahendra Singh Dhoni’s participation in the 2025 edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL) is still not confirmed. However, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) and the IPL General Council have cleared the decks for the five-time champions to retain MS Dhoni with the re-introduction of ‘uncapped player’ rule, but his participation still remains under doubt.
Seeing this, reports have revealed that the 43-year-old is set to meet the CSK officials later this month in order to clarify on his participation in the cash-rich league. Earlier this summer, with doubts casting over MS Dhoni’s participation, the 43-year-old revealed that his future entirely depended on the retention rules, which are set by the IPL Governing Council.
MS Dhoni to meet CSK officials to decide on IPL future: Reports
With the BCCI and the IPL General Council clarifying the Player Regulations for 2025-27 cycle, as per a report in Cricbuzz, MS Dhoni will meet CSK officials later this month as they await clarity on his participation. “Chennai Super Kings continue to maintain that MS Dhoni’s participation in the upcoming season is still not final, and key officials from the franchise will meet with him before making a decision. Dhoni is expected to meet with CSK officials in mid-October in Mumbai, where he will likely convey his final decision,” the report stated.
Earlier this year, MS Dhoni when asked to speak about his participation, revealed, “There is a lot of time for it. We have to see what decision they have to take on player retentions 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.”
But with the BCCI bringing back the ‘uncapped player’ rule for the first time since 2021, it has given some sigh of relief for the franchise as well as MS Dhoni fans. According to the Player Regulations 2025-27, “A capped Indian player will become uncapped, if the player has in the last five calendar years preceding the year in which the relevant Season is held, not played in the starting XI in International Cricket (Test match, ODI, Twenty20 International) or does not have a Central Contract with BCCI.”
If MS Dhoni continues to play in the IPL, he will also see an immense pay cut compared to his retention value of INR 12 Crore (2021). He is set to take a 66.67 percent pay cut in IPL 2025 if he continues, with the uncapped players being retained for a price of maximum INR 4 Crore. However, a clarity on his participation will come as the BCCI has set October 31 as the deadline for franchises to submit the retained players list.
