M.S. Dhoni's 11 Year Battle for Match-Fixing Justice Finally Goes to Court (Free Article)

The Indian cricketing legend is suing news companies, a journalist, and a police officer for allegedly dragging his name through the mud.

In 2014, M.S. Dhoni filed a lawsuit for defamation in Madras, India, against everyone he claimed had unjustly labelled him as a match-fixer. The list of culprits extended from major media company, Zee Media, the News Nation channel, journalist Sudhir Chaudhary, and retired police officer, G. Sampath Kumar.

Dhoni claimed that this group had unfairly associated his name with the Indian Premier League’s (IPL) 2013 betting and match-fixing scandal.

On August 11, 2025, after more than a decade of procedural delays, the Madras High Court decided that Dhoni’s lawsuit would go to trial. He is seeking a total of 100 crore rupees (9.8 million euros) in damages.

But why did it take so long?

The roots of this case date back to 2013, when three players from the Rajasthan Royals were arrested for s…