Chennai Super Kings (CSK) is one of the most valuable franchises in the IPL with a brand value of $122 million in 2024 and is the most sought after franchise all around the world. You must have heard people ask you, why was CSK banned for 2 year period?
Every cricketer who dreams of playing in the Indian Premier League, for once has dreamed to represent CSK, to experience their sporting culture. And you guessed it right, witness the magic of MS Dhoni.
However, just like everything in life, there are some good days and then bad days. While the shiny side of CSK is all about wins and trophies, there is a blotch to their name in the form of “CSK banned in IPL”.
Table of Contents
- CSK Brief History in IPL
- Why was CSK banned for 2 Years in IPL?
- Consequences of CSK IPL Ban
- CSK ban year
- Is CSK banned from IPL 2025?
CSK Brief History in IPL
Being one of the most consistent successful teams in the IPL history, CSK has made a proper space of itself in the fans hearts. Being finalists in the 2008 edition and Becoming the first team to win the title two consecutive times by 2011 solidified their position.
Out of the 16 seasons of the entire IPL, CSK managed to make it to the playoffs a total of 12 times and reached 10 finals out of which they won five. The team has had cricketing legends backing its impressive stats which makes it easier to like them. From people like Muralitharan, Matthew Hayden, Andrew Flintoff, Shane Watson, to MS Dhoni have been consistently representing them.
However, CSK’s legacy is only tarnished by that two-year suspension (2016-2017) which was imposed by the Lodha Committee after a Supreme Court ruling. CSK 2-Year Ban Lodha Committee is still something that haunts the fans.
Why CSK was banned for 2 Years in IPL?
The Chennai Super Kings were made to face a ban from the IPL for two whole years because of their owner’s involvement in the 2013 spot-fixing scandal.
Spot-fixing is a form of corruption where players have previous agreements with someone to perform a certain way and doing certain actions in a match, like for example deliberately bowling a wide or getting out. Doing this in exchange for money is an unethical practice.
The scandal had come to light back in 2013 when the Delhi Police had arrested three Rajasthan Royals players : Sreesanth, Ajit Chandila, and Ankeet Chavan. On charges of spot-fixing these players were arrested. Although there were no CSK players directly involved in the match-fixting, the franchise was still linked to yet another betting scandal.
Gurunath Meiyappan, the team principal of CSK at the time, was arrested along with actor Vindu Dara Singh for betting on IPL matches which is unlawful. Hence because of violating BCCI’s rules which prohibits team officials from engaging in betting the team faced this ban.
An investigation by the Mudgal Committee which was appointed by the Supreme Court of India had later found compelling evidence of betting and corruption in the IPL. Even though none of the CSK players were found guilty of spot-fixing, the involvement of Meiyappan led to CSK’s unfortunate suspension for two years.
Consequences of CSK IPL Ban
- Delhi Police arrested Rajasthan Royals players namely Sreesanth, Chavan and Chandila, and also the former Royals player Amit Singh for fraud and cheating in the IPL 2013.
- Mumbai Police made a summon to Gurunath Meiyappan who was later arrested for his involvement in betting.as he was a top official of Chennai Super Kings.
- A two-member IPL panel then also cleared Meiyappan and others of wrongdoing but the Bombay High Court ruled that the panel was illegally constituted.
- BCCI president N. Srinivasan was forced to resign due to a conflict of interest, as Meiyappan was his relative.
- Srinivasan temporarily stepped down which let to Jagmohan Dalmiya taking charge.
- Gurunath was granted bail with restrictions.
- The Supreme Court has issued notices to the BCCI where Srinivasan and the other parties involved where challenging the Bombay High Court’s ruling.
- Gurunath was later charged with cheating and fraud by Mumbai Police under the Indian Penal Code and the Bombay Police Act.
Involvement of India Cements on CSK Ban from IPL
By 2013, there was a huge uproar caused around the topic of who was the owner of Chennai Super Kings. Many reports claimed that Meiyappan was the silent owner of CSK.
In a statement on May 24, 2013, India Cements, the owner of CSK, clarified that Mr. Meiyappan wasn’t the CSK owner or CEO. He was just an honorary member of the team’s management. Nonetheless Meiyappan was still arrested on the day of the finals between Chennai Super Kings and Mumbai Indians back in 2013.
They distanced themselves from him to protect the CSK franchise. Meiappan’s arrest could have led to a permanent termination of CSK which is why they had to quickly disown him to avoid any further trouble. This important move is what ended up saving the team’s future and maintain its standing in the Indian cricket world.
Mukul Mudgal Committee & Lodha Committee on CSK Match-Fixing Charges
The Mudgal Committee was at the time led by former High Court judge Mukul Mudgal who investigated the corruption in the 2013 IPL spot-fixing scandal. His focus was mainly on Gurunath Meiyappan who was as we now know the CSK team official found guilty of betting.
As no CSK players were directly involved in match-fixing Meiyappan had still placed bets through actor Vindoo Dara Singh which revealed links to bookmaking. The committee had questioned the rule change which allowed the BCCI officials to own IPL teams, raising concerns over conflicts of interest.
Following this, the Lodha Committee which was formed in 2015, recommended certain reforms to the BCCI to ensure transparency and accountability so that something like this does not repeat history.
This included age limits for office bearers, term limits for administrators, and the creation of an independent governing body for the IPL. The committee also suggested that individuals with criminal charges be removed from office.
In July of 2016, the Indian Supreme Court upheld most of the Lodha Committee’s recommendations which led to a restructuring of the entire BCCI. The BCCI however resisted these changes which then led to a standoff with the Supreme Court over the implementation of any such reforms.
Recent Developments:
In 2020, after serving a seven-year ban for his role in the scandal, Sreesanth returned to domestic cricket, but retired in 2022.
CSK ban year
As the Chennai Super Kings was banned for two years in 2016 and 2017, a similar fate was shared by the Rajasthan Royals side as well, after the Lodha Committee had announced their final verdict. Meiyappan was also banned for life from cricket-related activities for his wrong-doings.
According to the Committee Gurunath Meiyappan was involved in betting during the 2013 IPL scandal. Hence, the ban was put in place to highlight the need for accountability and transparency in franchise cricket such as this.
The Supreme Court strongly backed the Lodha Committee’s recommendations, by setting up the importance of strict measures to behold the sport’s credibility. This then led to significant reforms in the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) preventing any such occurrences.
While the spot-fixing scandal had definitely tarnished the IPL’s reputation, the league has since solidified its anti-corruption measures learning from its past and also proceeded to introduce stricter rules and harsher penalties for anyone involved in such corruptions.
Is CSK banned from IPL 2025?
No, Chennai Super Kings will not be banned from the IPL in 2025. In fact, everyone’s beloved IPL team CSK ended up making a spectacular return to the IPL in 2018 after having served a two-year suspension and then winning that season.
Led then by the one and only MS Dhoni, their comeback was a true story full of inspiration and perseverance. By reclaiming their place at the top of Indian cricket CSK reestablished itself in the game.
CSK played with a new passion which made every match feel like a fight to restore their position. The players, in their iconic yellow jerseys, were also all set to give it their all.
With standout performances from Shane Watson and Ambati Rayudu in the batting department and key contributions from spinners like Harbhajan Singh and Ravindra Jadeja, CSK displayed a dominant all-round game.
In an inspiring turn of events, CSK ended up clinching their fourth IPL title in 2018, proving that they were not just a team of great cricketers, but a unit which was set to prove itself.
Their victory was more than just a trophy. It was a testament to overcoming adversity and a reminder of the power of second chances. Since then CSK has been unstoppable. Missing out on the trophy in 2019 by 1 run, Super Kings won their fourth title in 2021 following another title victory in 2023 under “Thala’ Dhoni‘s” leadership.
Chennai Super Kings has gone through numerous changes over the years. From the shift in captaincy to young players replacing the veterans one thing that has been unchanged over the years and through the ups and downs is the love and admiration from the CSK fans. Notably, despite the ban, CSK has become the most valuable franchise in the IPL, with a brand value of $231 million.
Now, in the year of 2025, MS Dhoni having given up his captaincy, Ruturaj Gaikwad is the current captain of the beloved CSK. With Jadeja takingup captaincy for a short while but failing to maintain a stable team and Dhoni having to step back in his shoes, the team needed a new reliable face and they got it in Gaikwad who has already proved himself.
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