'Played very smartly' - Mohammad Kaif on IPL's Uncapped Player rule for MS Dhoni

Mohammad Kaif took a hilarious dig at the Indian Premier League (IPL) after the Uncapped Player Rule was revived, allowing MS Dhoni to continue playing for Chennai Super Kings (CSK) without taking a huge chunk of money from their purse.

The IPL franchises submitted their final list of retained players on Thursday, October 31. Dhoni was retained by CSK for just INR 4 crore, taking a pay cut of INR 8 crore from last season. This was possible for the Men in Yellow only because the IPL Governing Council had brought back the Uncapped Player Rule, allowing franchises to retain any player who has not played for India in the last five years in the  uncapped category for only INR 4 crore. Dhoni, who made his last India appearance in July 2019, fit the bill perfectly and the Men in Yellow had no hesitation in retaining the stalwart in the uncapped bracket.

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“CSK have played really well. They have saved 10-15 crores. I feel that the way this rule was brought back because we were driven by emotions, and we all really wanted MS Dhoni to play another year...I feel CSK played very smartly there. Yes he is taking less money, but it would allow CSK to buy big names players at the auction,” Kaif said on JioCinema.

“I feel whichever player plays for India, I was 36 when I last played an international match for India... now if I get dropped from the team, but continue to have a good IPL run, then I should not have come under the uncapped player rule. These are those players who have not played an international match yet. Yeh toh chaal chal di CSK wale badhiyan. And they played it so well, because we all became emotional, having got the opportunity to see Dhoni for another year in IPL. I feel CSK got the advantage of buying two extra players at the auction,” he added.

The positive thing is even you are an uncapped player now and so am I: Sanjay Manjrekar

Sanjay Manjrekar, who was also present during the conversation, hilariously remarked that both Kaif and him are uncapped players as well.

“This has been a reincarnation of Dhoni because this rule has been re-introduced only to bring him back. The positive thing is even you (Kaif) are an uncapped player now and so am I,” he said.

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Nevertheless, Dhoni's passionate fans have welcomed the move as they will get the chance to see their favourite player once again in action, maybe for the last time. CSK finished fifth on the points table last season under Ruturaj Gaikwad's captaincy.