MS Dhoni asked to retire from IPL to feature in CSA T20 League by the BCCI: Legendary Indian cricketer MS Dhoni has been asked to retire from the Indian Premier League (IPL) if he wants to feature in the upcoming T20 League of Cricket South Africa (CSA). The Indian cricket board has strictly denied permission to any Indian centrally contracted player or retired cricketer who plays in the IPL to take part in the upcoming two leagues in South Africa and UAE in any capacity.
Interestingly, the BCCI forbids Indian players to play in the overseas leagues to maintain its exclusivity from the rest of the leagues across the globe which has perhaps made the IPL what it is today. The BCCI is firm in its resolve as it has denied all the reports of Indian players playing or taking up coaching roles in the overseas leagues, as long as they are associated with the BCCI, even though there were several rumours in the past that the cricket board might change its stance.
Chennai Super Kings (CSK), who has recently acquired a team in the CSA T20 league, was mulling to appoint MS Dhoni as the mentor of the Johannesburg-based team. As per the reports, CSK had approached the BCCI for permission to use MS Dhoni’s brain in the CSA T20 League.
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As per a senior BCCI official, no Indian player can take part in any overseas league as long as he keeps his ties with the BCCI and IPL.
“It’s clear, no Indian player including domestic players can take part in any other league until he is retired from all forms of the game. If any player wants to take part in these upcoming leagues he can only do so when he cuts off all ties with the BCCI,” a BCCI official told The Indian Express.
The BCCI official further added that in order to mentor a side in the CSA T20 League, MS Dhoni will have to retire from the IPL as well.
Notably, several players in the past have protested BCCI’s rule to not allow its player to take part in the foreign T20 leagues. The likes of Suresh Raina and Irfan Pathan, in the past, have opined that the board should free non-contracted retired players to feature in the other T20 leagues, however, their request was denied by the cricket board.