The preparations of the Indian Premier League 2026 are going on in the full season but one of the most successful teams in the tournament is turning out to be involved in an unforeseen off-field problem. Chennai Super Kings is now undergoing a copyright controversy over a promotional video, which it had published upon the release of its new jersey.
Sun TV Network Limited has been complaining and has moved to the Madras High Court claiming that it was being used in its social media without its permission in scenarios that involve copyrighted audio in films.
The controversy started when CSK published a promotional video on March 1 to present their jersey in the next season. The video was said to have a background music and dramatic effects associated with films of South Indian superstar Rajinikanth, and was set to music by Anirudh Ravichander. These factors were applied to enhance the effectiveness of the promotion campaign according to the complaint.
There was also the dramatic entry sequence of the former India captain MS Dhoni that soon spread among the fans on the internet. But the broadcaster asserts that the usage of film related audio materials was made without the appropriate licensing.
Not long after the complaint appeared, the franchise allegedly deleted the original video on its social networks. An edited version of the clip was subsequently released with some amendments however at this point the legal action had already been taken.
In its petition, Sun TV Network has also requested that the court limits CSK to use similar copyrighted content in promotion campaigns in future. The company has also attempted to obtain information on any business profit made as a result of the marketing campaign regarding the video.
Other teams in the IPL have also raised some caution after the episode. Some of the franchises have been reported as reviewing their digital content practices so that music or film dialogues used in the promotional posts do not result in the same legal issues.
In the meantime, the cricketing business is soon at hand. The IPL 2026 season will be inaugurated on March 28 whereby CSK will play their opening game with Rajasthan Royals on March 30. Whereas the legal issue is going on outside the field, the side of Chennai will be hoping that they will maintain the focus on their preparations as they pursue another IPL title.
