All the franchises are eagerly waiting for the apex board's decision on the number of players allowed to be retained ahead of the IPL Mega Auction. Current reports claim that only 5 players can be retained with no Right To Match cards, leaving a few teams with no option, but to splash the cash for some of their star players at the auction. Earlier reports suggested that there is a chance of bringing back the 'Uncapped Player Rule', where a player, retired from international cricket for more than five years can be retained in uncapped players category. Currently, Dhoni is amongst the highest earners in IPL. The former Indian captain joined Chennai Super Kings in the IPL 2008 auction for ₹6 crore and led CSK to win five IPL titles (2010, 2011, 2018, 2021 and 2023). Captain Cool was retained in the IPL 2022 mega-auction for ₹12 crore. Last season, Dhoni handed over the captaincy baton to Ruturaj Gaikwad. As of now, the cost of retaining uncapped players is ₹4 crore, but there are rumours it can be increased to ₹5 crore. That means despite increasing the fee, it will be a substantial decrease in salary for MSD if the uncapped players rule for the retired players gets reinstated, and at the same time, it will be heavily beneficial for the franchise. The scenario could be different if the uncapped player's rule does not come into action. In that case, there is a chance CSK may not retain their former skipper, given his current age and absence from regular cricket. However, the possibility of this is very low as, reportedly, the Superkings will try their best to retain their talisman. Last season, Dhoni played with a knee injury and yet played all 14 games and scored 161 runs. Any confirmation from the player about his participation in IPL 2025 is yet to come. If he decides not to take part in the upcoming IPL, it will be heartbreak for the cricket fans. It is hoped that the picture will be clearer when BCCI announces the new retention policy, which will probably come in very shortly.