IPL 2025: Who are the 2 'Capped' players retained by franchises using 'Uncapped Player' rule?

Two teams have utilised the ‘Uncapped Player’ rule to retain senior Indian players for IPL 2025 for only INR 4 crores.

On October 31st, all 10 Indian Premier League (IPL) franchises submitted their list of retained players ahead of the IPL 2025 mega auction.

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) had allowed each team to retain up to six players with a maximum of five capped and a maximum of two uncapped players. These six players were allowed to be retained through any combination of retentions and Right To Match card options.

One of the interesting points mentioned in the IPL’s player rules and regulations for retention was the return of the ‘uncapped’ player rule.

The IPL has brought back a rule that had been scrapped three years ago because it was never utilised. However, now, two franchises have used this rule to their advantage to retain two senior Indian players – one of them who is officially retired – as ‘uncapped’ players.

For the unversed, an uncapped player becomes capped if he has played even one international match for his country.

The IPL brought back a rule in which a capped Indian player can be retained in the category of an uncapped if he hadn’t played international cricket for the last five years preceding the year in which the relevant season (that is 2025) is held.

This rule is highly advantageous to the franchises as they can retain their preferred capped Indian player who hadn’t played for India in the last five years for only INR 4 crores, which is the price slab of an uncapped cricketer.

Who are the capped Indian players retained as ‘uncapped’ players for IPL 2025?

Using the uncapped player rule, Chennai Super Kings (CSK) retained MS Dhoni and Rajasthan Royals (RR) retained Sandeep Sharma for only INR 4 crores.

Dhoni last played for India in July 2019 and Sandeep, who is 31 years old, played his two T20Is in 2015.

Dhoni is 43 years old and the IPL 2025 might be his last season. It was reported that CSK had requested the BCCI to bring back this rule that was quashed in 2021 as it was never used by anyone. Courtesy of this, CSK managed to retain Dhoni for a much lower amount than the INR 12 crores that Dhoni received last season.

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