A recent meeting between the IPL and the owners of the ten franchises discussed the retention rules ahead of the 2025 auction, specifically whether cricketers retired for five years should be considered at par with uncapped players. This rule, which existed from 2008 but was scrapped in 2021, had never been used.
When reintroduced, several franchises, including Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) owner Kavya Maran, objected. Maran argued that retaining retired players as uncapped would disrespect their value, suggesting instead that these players be part of the auction to let the market decide their price.
At least one other franchise also expressed reservations. ESPNcricinfo had reported that the suggestion came from CSK, speculating it could be used to retain MS Dhoni, who retired from international cricket in 2020. Ahead of the 2022 mega auction, Dhoni was retained by CSK for INR 12 crore, while uncapped players cost INR 4 crore.
Dhoni’s future in the IPL remains uncertain, with decisions pending the finalization of retention rules. After knee surgery in 2023, Dhoni handed over CSK captaincy to Ruturaj Gaikwad and played a limited role.
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Franchises unanimously 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 players is INR 50 lakh. IPL COO Hemang Amin suggested that a lower base price would increase these players’ chances of being bought at the auction, as many have gone unsold despite multiple entries.