BCCI Ethics Officer Justice Arun Mishra (retd) has dismissed a complaint filed against MS Dhoni for alleged conflict of interest violation related to his role as a Chennai Super Kings (CSK) player and his association with cricket academies run by M/s Aarka Sports and Management Private Limited. The decision concluded that no conflict of interest was found regarding Dhoni’s participation in the Indian Premier League (IPL) under current BCCI regulations.
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The complaint, filed in February 2024, alleged that Dhoni violated Rule 38(4)(a) and Rule 38(4)(p) by being a current IPL player as well as the owner of the academy. The complainant also accused Dhoni of failing to disclose interests in accordance with Article 38(2) and Article 38(5) following the 2018 amendments to the BCCI conflict of interest rules.
In his order, Justice Mishra said the cricket academy agreement was signed in 2017, which was before BCCI’s conflict of interest regulations came into effect in September 2018. This timing was a key factor in assessing the allegations made by the complainant.
The ethics officer found no evidence that Dhoni had any institutional control or decision-making power at the academy while he was playing in the IPL. The decision clarified that merely continuing as an IPL player does not meet the threshold for conflict of interest under current BCCI regulations.
In addition, the order stated that no evidence of favoritism, bias or preferential treatment associated with the ownership of the academy had been presented. The decision emphasized that these factors are decisive in determining a conflict of interest violation under the BCCI Code.
Justice Mishra directly addressed the nature of the submissions and stated,
“Appellant cannot actually plead third-party causes in this judicial forum. Moreover, the applicant has a personal ax to grind because the respondent has caused harm to him,” the order said.
“Consequently, Shri MS Dhoni can be said to be the owner of the cricket academies opened by M/s Aarka Sports and Management Private Limited. However, the agreement was entered into in 2017 while the regulations came into effect in September 2018. In fact, the conflict of interest at the relevant time when Shri MS Dhoni was representing India as a captain/player was not made.
“Furthermore, the complaint is an outcome of the complainant’s business dispute with the respondent as well as the respondent and M/s Aarka Sports and Management Private Limited whose cause the complainant is representing. The same is belated with respect to the period of 2020. The complainant has not found any case of conflict of interest with the respondent playing in the IPL,” he said.
“In view of the previous discussion and findings, the complaint is dismissed,” he added.
Dhoni is all set to play his 19th season in the IPLwith CSK taking on RR in their first game of the 2026 campaign.
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Published on:
12 March 2026 08:46 IST
