BCCI on Saturday announced the number of retentions along with some new rules and regulations for the upcoming Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025 mega auction. BCCI has brought back the rule that allowed Indian players, who have retired from international cricket for five years before the start of the relevant season, to be treated as an uncapped player. The revival of the rule means CSK can now keep hold of Dhoni as an uncapped player and retain him in the lowest bracket of Rs 4 crore which won’t hurt their overall purse of Rs 120 crore. BCCI on Saturday confirmed that each team can retain a maximum of six players either through direct retention or by using the RTM option during the auction. The teams can choose to use all six retentions or a combination of retentions and RTMs depending on their strategies. A team can retain a maximum of five capped players, Indian or overseas and a maximum of only 2 uncapped players. While the uncapped retentions will be valued at Rs 4 crore each, there are three brackets for the capped players. The top retention will be valued at Rs 18 crore followed by Rs 14 crore and Rs 11 crore for the 2nd and 3rd retentions. The catch is that if a team wants to retain 5 capped players, they will have to pay Rs 18 crore and Rs 14 crore respectively to the 4th and 5th retentions. While the uncapped rule has made it easier for CSK to keep hold of Dhoni, the five-time champions still have a huge task at hand in finalising their other retentions. CSK might retain a total of 4 players, including Dhoni and captain Ruturaj Gaikwad. They have several top players in their ranks who they wouldn’t want to let go but CSK will have to make some bold calls ahead of the IPL 2025 mega auction. Who can CSK retain ahead of IPL 2025 mega auction? 1) Ruturaj Gaikwad Captain Ruturaj Gaikwad might not be the top retention but he will arguably be on the top of the priority list for CSK as far as their retentions are concerned ahead of the IPL 2025 mega auction. Gaikwad has been a consistent performer with the bat for the Men in Yellow over the last few seasons and took over the captaincy baton from Dhoni last year. Gaikwad did well as a captain for CSK last year and showcased glimpses of Dhoni in his leadership style as the Men in Yellow closely missed out on a spot in the playoffs. He is expected to continue leading the team heading into the next season and will be the most vital cog in the CSK line-up as they strategies for the upcoming auction. 2) MS Dhoni MS Dhoni, who is yet to open up his future in the IPL after the 2024 season, had earlier said he would take a call after the BCCI announces the number of retentions and the rules for the mega auction. Dhoni is set to be retained by CSK in all likelihood after the return of the uncapped player rule. The former CSK skipper has been synonymous with his team’s success in the league over the years and is expected to continue playing for another season. Retaining him as an uncapped player would mean CSK will only have to allot Rs 4 crore from their overall purse and would not have to worry about fitting the legendary wicket-keeper batter in their top 5 retentions. While he was fluent behind the stumps, Dhoni mostly batted as a finisher in the lower middle order for CSK last season and is expected to continue in the same role if he is retained for next season. 3) Ravindra Jadeja Star all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja was CSK’s first-choice retention for Rs 16 crore in the IPL 2022 mega auction and repaid the faith shown in him by the franchise by playing a match-winning knock in the IPL 2023 final. Jadeja’s heroics helped CSK lift their fifth title and the franchise will certainly once again keep him as their first-choice retention. Jadeja is one of the longest-serving players in the current CSK squad having been with the franchise for 11 seasons since 2012. The left-arm all-rounder is also a vital cog in the CSK batting line-up, who offers the team strong depth with both bat and the ball. Jadeja might pocket Rs 18 crore to become the top retention for the five-time champions ahead of skipper Gaikwad. 4) Matheesha Pathirana Chennai Super Kings might be tempted to keep Shivam Dube as their third-choice retention for Rs 11 crore, however, they cannot afford to let go of Sri Lanka pacer Matheesha Pathirana, who has been one of the finds of the IPL over the last couple of seasons. CSK have invested heavily in Pathirana since his U-19 days and will look to keep a hold of the pacer. One of the most exciting young fast bowlers in T20s at present, Pathirana can nail yorkers at will and has shown what he is capable of with his precision in the death overs. He played an instrumental role in CSK’s IPL 2023 title triumph with 19 wickets from 12 matches and might get rewarded for his efforts by CSK retaining him for Rs 11 crore.