After his name was connected to the notorious 2013 IPL betting scandal, the Madras High Court ordered the start of the trial in the INR 100 crore defamation action against the great Indian captain, MS Dhoni, over ten years later. An attorney commissioner has been assigned by the court to document the former India captain’s statement in Chennai from October 20 to December 10, 2025.
Several players were found guilty of spot-fixing during the 2013 IPL betting and spot-fixing controversy. The betting activities of their officials resulted in a two-year suspension for the Chennai Super Kings (CSK) and Rajasthan Royals. Despite never having been charged, Dhoni, who was captain of CSK and the Indian team at the time, filed a defamation suit in 2014 when his name was brought up in some media discussions and stories.
Dhoni’s testimony will be recorded at a place decided upon by the parties.
Zed Media Corporation, journalist Sudhir Chaudhary, retired IPS officer G. Sampath Kumar, and News Nation Network were sued for allegedly making defamatory statements and unsubstantially connecting him to the affair. The case claimed INR 100 crore in damages.
Justice C.V. Karthikeyan ordered on August 11, 2025, that an advocate commissioner record Dhoni’s testimony at a mutually agreed-upon place instead of in public court. In an affidavit, Dhoni’s senior attorney, P.R. Raman, underlined the necessity of preventing more delays in a case that has been dragging for more than ten years.
The aforementioned request is made in order to support the claim’s fair, just, and prompt adjudication and to prevent any unnecessary delays in its resolution—the suit has been pending before the High Court for more than ten years. According to the declaration, “I declare that I will cooperate fully with the Advocate Commissioner and adhere to all instructions given by this honourable court concerning the trial and the recording of evidence.”
Meanwhile, several applications and procedural challenges submitted by different parties had impeded the trial’s advancement for a number of years. In addition, the Ranchi native still plays for CSK in the IPL despite having retired from international cricket in August 2020.
India
