‘CSK ne to chaal chal di…’: Kaif and Manjrekar show no mercy and savagely criticize IPL ‘uncapped player’ rule for Dhoni

Indian Premier League (IPL) The Board of Governors earlier last month cleared the decks for Chennai Super Kings save MS Dhoni as they reinstated the old “uncapped player” rule that was scrapped in 2021. This rule has helped Chennai retain Dhoni for just INR 4 crore as the former captain is all set for his 18th IPL season next year. However, former cricketer Mohammad Kaif and Sanjay Manjrekar showed no mercy as they harshly criticized the rule.

Chennai has retained five players – captain Ruturaj Gaikwad (INR 18 crore), Mathisha Pathirana (INR 13 crore), Shivam Dube (INR 12 crore), Ravindra Jadeja (INR 18 crore) and Dhoni – ahead of the mega auction next month. leaving them with one RTM option and an amount of INR 55 crores.

Speaking to Star Sports on Thursday, Kaif noted that CSK had cleverly taken advantage of the ‘uncapped player’ rule, which helped them secure nearly Rs 15 crore auction purse, implying that they can place two more big-name players in the auction.

“CSK played very well. They saved 10-15 crores. I believe the rule was brought back because we were driven by emotion and we all really wanted MS Dhoni to 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.

“Kaif and I are also players without a limit”

However, the Indian great did not seem to support the retention rule that allowed Dhoni to continue his IPL career, explaining that the true meaning of an uncapped player is one who is yet to make his international debut.

“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, this is chal chal di CSK Valein Bariyan. 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.

Manjrekar, who was also on the panel, took a dig and said the rule means he and Kaif are now uncapped players despite having played for India.

“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.