The Indian Premier League season for 2026 hasn’t even started yet, but Chennai Super Kings have already found themselves in the middle of a legal controversy.
The five-time IPL champions are facing a copyright infringement case in the Madras High Court, filed by Sun TV Network Limited. The media company has accused the franchise of using audio from popular films without permission while promoting their team content online.
According to the complaint, CSK used songs, dialogues and background music from films such as Jailer, Jailer 2, and Coolie, all associated with superstar Rajinikanth, in a promotional video for their new jersey.
At the beginning of March, CSK shared a video across their social media platforms including Instagram, X, YouTube and Facebook to reveal their jersey for the upcoming IPL season. The video gave fans a first look at the 2026 kit and featured visuals of players and team moments. However, the media company claimed the video also included copyrighted audio clips from their films, including scenes highlighting the arrival of CSK icon MS Dhoni at the team camp.
Soon after the issue surfaced, the original promotional video was taken down. It was later uploaded again with certain changes, reportedly removing the disputed audio elements.
In its court filing, Sun TV Network argued that the promotional content made repeated use of copyrighted soundtracks and dialogues without authorization. The company believes these elements were used in a way that helped attract attention and boost sales of CSK merchandise.
The media firm has asked the court to stop the franchise from using any of its copyrighted material in the future. It has also requested that CSK provide details about the commercial benefits they may have gained from the promotional campaign, particularly from the sale of the IPL 2026 match jersey, which is priced at ₹2,399, along with other merchandise.
The complaint also highlighted how music connected with Rajinikanth and composer Anirudh Ravichander could significantly influence fans in South India, especially in Chennai, potentially increasing merchandise sales.
Reports suggest that Sun TV Network sent an official email to CSK on March 1 regarding the issue, after which the franchise stopped using the disputed audio.
The development has also caught the attention of other IPL teams, with some franchises reportedly advising their social media and content teams to be more careful while using film music or audio clips in promotional posts.
