"Can a player like Dhoni play as an uncapped player?" - Ravichandran Ashwin opens up on intriguing possibility
Veteran Indian off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin was intrigued about the possibility of MS Dhoni being retained by the Chennai Super Kings (CSK) as a potentially uncapped player. Dhoni hasn't played international cricket since 2019.
From the 2008 edition to IPL 2021, there was a rule in place that had retired players for more than five years playing as uncapped players. According to a report from ESPNcricinfo, CSK suggested the meeting with the IPL governing council and the other owners that the rule needed to be brought back.
In a video on his YouTube channel, Ravichandran Ashwin talked on the topic.
"Will Dhoni play as an uncapped player? That's a big question mark. The point is correct. He hasn't played international cricket for many years. He has retired. So, he is an uncapped player. He is not a capped player. Can a player like Dhoni play as an uncapped player? That is another conversation. Obviously, if someone talks about Dhoni, everyone will talk about it," he said.
Dhoni was retained for ₹12 crore ahead of the IPL 2022 mega auction. If he was to be retained as an uncapped player as per the regulations of the previous mega auction retentions, it would cost CSK just ₹4 crore. However, most franchises were reportedly against bringing the rule back.
Ravichandran Ashwin on foreign players choosing to come in just mini-auctions
According to another report by ESPNcricinfo, the franchises have agreed on and requested to enforce a two-year ban on overseas players who pull out of the league after being bought in the auction if there's no legitimate reason for them pulling out.
The franchises also want the overseas players to compulsorily put their names in for the mega auctions and not just the mini auctions, where they would get a lot of money.
On this, Ravichandran Ashwin stated in the same video:
"There is a new fun rule coming up that is going to change everything. I am saying this clearly. What do all the foreign players do? Skipping the mega auction. Today is the mega auction. I am going to farm in my city. Instead of coming to the auction, I will come to the mini-auction to build a house in Sydney for this mini-auction. Tomorrow, I am buying the Maldives. The day after tomorrow, I am buying a ship in Fiji. They have come to the mini-auction so far. What they are saying is that the highest value of an Indian player is your value. You can go for as much as you want."
Ravichandran Ashwin believes the rule should be implemented for overseas players from the upcoming mega auction.