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Five-time Indian Premier League (IPL) champions Chennai Super Kings (CSK) have landed in controversy before the 19th edition of the tournament. A copyright infringement case has been filed against the team by Sun TV Network Limited in the Madras High Court.
What was the complaint against CSK?
The complaint claims that CSK used music, dialogues, and background tracks from popular movies such as Jailer, Jailer 2, and Coolie to promote their social media content. Earlier this month, CSK shared a video unveiling their new IPL 2026 jersey across Instagram, X, YouTube, and Facebook. The media company says the video included copyrighted audio from Rajinikanth-starrer films without permission.
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Who filed suit against CSK?
According to the plaint, the video was removed and re-uploaded with changes after the issue was raised. The Indian Express quoted the filing.
"The plaintiff submits that the Defendant (CSK) officially unveiled the new jersey for IPL 2026 on 01.03.2026, offering fans a glimpse of the fresh design through a promotional video shared on social media pages… The said video… prominently used the audio tracks and dialogues from the Plaintiff’s films Jailer, Jailer 2 and Coolie, and further incorporated copyrighted audio elements at multiple junctures, including scenes depicting the arrival of MS Dhoni at the 1st Defendant’s camp."
Sun TV Network has asked the court to stop CSK from using the copyrighted material and to provide details of the commercial gains from jersey sales linked to the video. The plaint also noted that the use of Rajinikanth’s music could influence merchandise sales, especially for a team based in Chennai, South India.
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An official email was sent to CSK on March 1, after which the team stopped using the copyrighted tracks. The case has also made other IPL franchises cautious, as many teams regularly use audio tracks in their social media promotions.
CSK IPL 2026 schedule
| Date | Day | Match | Venue |
|---|---|---|---|
| 30/03/26 | Mon | Rajasthan Royals vs. Chennai Super Kings | Guwahati |
| 03/04/26 | Fri | Chennai Super Kings vs. Punjab Kings | Chennai |
| 05/04/26 | Sun | Royal Challengers Bengaluru vs. Chennai Super Kings | Bengaluru |
| 11/04/26 | Sat | Chennai Super Kings vs. Delhi Capitals | Chennai |
CSK squad for IPL 2026
Ruturaj Gaikwad(C), MS Dhoni, Sanju Samson, Shivam Dube, Dewald Brevis, Ayush Mhatre, Kartik Sharma, Sarfaraz Khan, Urvil Patel, Anshul Kamboj, Khaleel Ahmed, Noor Ahmad, Jamie Overton, Ramakrishna Ghosh, Prashant Veer, Matthew William Short, Aman Khan, Zak Foulkes, Mukesh Choudhary, Nathan Ellis, Shreyas Gopal, Gurjapneet Singh, Akeal Hosein, Matt Henry, Rahul Chahar.
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