MS Dhoni mentoring CSK’s Johannesburg franchise in the inaugural SA T20 League now won’t be possible as the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has clarified that no Indian player can take part in any other league until retirement.
As a result, MS Dhoni won’t be taking part in any capacity in the tournament, be it as a mentor or coach. MS Dhoni is yet to retire from the Indian Premier League (IPL), though he called time on his international career on August 15, 2020. MS Dhoni will next feature as an active cricketer in IPL 2023.
MS Dhoni Can’t Be Used As A Mentor For Johannesburg Franchise in CSA T20 League: BCCI
The BCCI is unlikely to allow any Indian player, contracted or retired and playing in IPL, to feature in the upcoming T20 leagues in South Africa or UAE. The players will also not be allowed to take up mentorship roles.
The Indian cricket board BCCI has always followed the policy of not allowing Indian players, contracted or retired and playing in IPL, to feature in overseas T20 leagues.
A BCCI official said: “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.”
It’s worth noting here that all the franchise teams in the South African T20 League have been bought by IPL team owners. This led to speculation regarding the participation of Indian players in the South African T20 franchises.
However, the BCCI has followed a strict policy of not allowing any active Indian cricketers to play in any foreign leagues. Players who have ventured into playing in tournaments like the Big Bash League (BBL) have done so after severing their links with Indian cricket completely.
Faf du Plessis And Moeen Ali May Play For CSK’s Johannesburg Franchise
As per multiple reports, RCB’s Faf du Plessis and England all-rounder Moeen Ali will play for CSK’s Johannesburg franchise. While Faf du Plessis has won multiple titles with CSK, Moeen Ali won his maiden IPL trophy with the Yellow Army in 2021. Ever since he joined CSK, Moeen Ali has become an integral part of the franchise.
Meanwhile, the management is planning to appoint Stephen Fleming as head coach. They could also consider Suresh Raina as a mentor as he has taken up the commentator’s role after not getting picked by any franchise in the IPL mega auction earlier this year.
The six franchises in the SA T20 league have been bought by the following IPL teams — MI (Cape Town), LSG (Durban), SRH (Port Elizabeth or Gqeberha), CSK (Johannesburg), RR (Paarl), and DC (Pretoria). The CSA T20 league is likely to be played between January 6 and February 12. The tournament is set to clash with the UAE’s ILT20 and the BBL.
In September 2019, BCCI issued a show cause notice to Dinesh Karthik for his attendance at a promotional event of the Caribbean Premier League (CPL) franchise Trinbago Knight Riders, which is owned by Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan.
Dinesh Karthik, who used to lead Kolkata Knight Riders back then, was seen in the TKR dressing room and also attended the team’s opening CPL 2019 game against St Kitts & Nevis in Port of Spain. Subsequently, he had to apologize unconditionally for breaching a clause of his central contract.
Back in 2019, Yuvraj Singh called time on his international cricket career and then featured in the Global Canada T20 League and Abu Dhabi T10 League for Toronto Nationals and Maratha Arabians respectively.
On the other hand, BCCI has allowed its female cricketers to take part in overseas leagues and the likes of Harmanpreet Kaur, Smriti Mandhana, and Jemimah Rodrigues among others have seen in action in competitions such as WBBL and The Hundred.