EXPLAINED: How CSK retained MS Dhoni for just Rs. 4 crore? | Cricket News

Former Chennai Super Kings captain MS Dhoni.

Chennai Super Kings retained five players – Captain Ruturaj Gaikwad (Rs 18 crore), Mathisha Pathirana (Rs 13 crore), Shivam Dube (Rs 12 crore), Ravindra Jadeja (Rs 18 crore) and MS Dhoni – ahead of next month’s mega auction, leaving them with one RTM option and a purse of Rs. 55 crores.
M.S. Dhoni, former CSK and the Indian captain was hired for just Rs. 4 crores IPL franchise.
Ahead of the IPL deadline (October 31) and the mega auction scheduled for late November, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) held revised rules for unlimited players.

Previously, players without restrictions were defined as those who had never played for their national team. The new rule now allows Indian cricketers who are retired or out of favor to be classified as unrestricted players. The rule existed from 2008 to 2021, but was not applied during this period. He was returned at the beginning of the year.
An Indian player is now considered ‘uncapped’ if he has not played any international match or had a BCCI central contract in the last five years. This change allows teams to strategically retain these players, including Chennai Super Kingswhich retained the services of MS Dhoni at the lowest price of Rs. 4 crore.
Dhoni last played for India in the 2019 ODI World Cup and retired in 2020; he only participates in the IPL.
Other players subject to this rule included Sandeep Sharma of Rajasthan Royals, Vijay Shankar and Mohit Sharma of Gujarat Titans, and Piyush Chawla of Mumbai Indians.
“CSK saved Rs 10-15 million.”

In an interview with Star Sports on Thursday, the former Indian cricketer Mohammad Kaif said that CSK cleverly implemented the ‘uncapped player’ rule which helped them save around Rs. 15 crores.
“CSK played very well. They saved 10-15 crores. I feel like this rule was brought back because we were driven by emotion and we all really wanted MS. Dhoni play another year… I think CSK played very smartly there. Yes, he takes less money, but this will allow CSK to buy famous players at the auction,” he said.
However, he did not seem to support the retention rule that allowed Dhoni to continue his IPL career, saying the true meaning of an uncapped player is one who has not played international cricket.
“I feel that whichever player plays for India, I was 36 when I last played for India in an international match… now if I am dropped from the team but I continue to perform well in the IPL, then I should not was subject to the unrestricted player rule. These are the players who have not yet played in international matches. Yes, chaal chaal di CSK vaalo ne. And they played so well because we were all excited to see Dhoni another year in the IPL. I believe CSK gained an advantage by buying two additional players in the auction,” he added.
Sanjay Manjrekar jokingly said that the revised rule would allow him and Kaif to be eligible for the IPL in the future.
“It was Dhoni reincarnated because this rule was reintroduced just to bring him back. The positive thing is that even you (Kaif) are now a no-limit player and so am I,” he said.