Former Australian all-rounder and ex-Sunrisers Hyderabad coach Tom Moody has endorsed the rule that designates MS Dhoni as an uncapped player in the Indian Premier League (IPL). He praised the rule, suggesting that the current five-year period for Indian players to be considered uncapped, should be reduced to three years.
After much anticipation, the BCCI revealed the IPL player regulations for 2025 to 2027 on September 28. One rule states that “a capped Indian player will be considered uncapped if they have not played in the starting XI for International Cricket (Test, ODI, T20I) in the five calendar years leading up to the relevant season or do not have a Central Contract with the BCCI.”
The decision to reinstate this rule, which had been in place since the inception of the IPL but was removed in 2021 due to lack of usage by franchises, has received mixed reactions. Some fans and critics believe it has been reinstated specifically for Dhoni.
However, Moody supports the return of the rule. In a discussion on ESPN Cricinfo, he stated that having legends like Dhoni participate in the IPL as long as they can perform is beneficial for the T20 league. The 59-year-old remarked (as quoted by The Times of India):
“I think it’s a great rule. I think it allows, if you are good enough and you have got longevity, it allows a player to continue to play on the big stage and perform and have some sort of role; without them, I suppose, you are making it difficult, from a price perspective, to retain those players because they might be the identity, or in Dhoni’s case, certainly he is the identity of CSK.”
“So, I don’t think that’s an issue at all. I think the longer the likes of iconic players like Dhoni can play in the IPL and can physically deliver like he has been, it’s good for the tournament,” the former Australian all-rounder added.
Dhoni set to be retained in UNCAPPED SPOT, As there’s a rule that a player who has retired for more than 5 years from their national team can be retained as ‘Uncapped’ pic.twitter.com/AIjgT9c3Qd
— 𝐒𝐞𝐫𝐠𝐢𝐨 (@SergioCSKK) August 1, 2024
The former SRH coach also suggested that the five-year period for becoming eligible as uncapped should be reduced to three years.
“I personally think five years is a long time; I would like to see it as a three-year window. Once a player has played his last international game, I think if you are out of international cricket or you haven’t been considered to play for India over that three-year window, you should be given the right of passage to be able to come in at that four-crow level,” Moody stated.
In addition to Dhoni, players like Piyush Chawla, Amit Mishra, Sandeep Sharma, and Mohit Sharma will also be classified as uncapped under the new regulations for the upcoming IPL.
Implications of the Uncapped Rule for MS Dhoni and CSK
There has yet to be confirmation on whether Dhoni will play for the Chennai Super Kings in IPL 2025. If he chooses to return for another year in the T20 league, the 43-year-old can be retained by CSK as an uncapped player for ₹4 crore.
The former India captain last played for the national team during the 2019 ODI World Cup and officially announced his retirement in August 2020.
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