Relief for Dhoni before IPL… BCCI Ethics Officer rejected the complaints, the matter is related to conflict of interest.

New Delhi. Good news has come before the IPL for Mahendra Singh Dhoni, one of the most successful captains of Indian cricket. BCCI’s Ethics Officer Justice Arun Mishra (retired) has completely rejected the complaint of ‘conflict of interest’ filed against Dhoni. With this decision, the ongoing controversies regarding Dhoni’s participation in the IPL and his cricket academies have come to an end.

A petition was filed against Dhoni by a complainant in February 2024. It was alleged that on one hand Dhoni is an ‘active player’ (for CSK in IPL) and on the other hand he is also the owner of a cricket academy through ‘M/s Arka Sports and Management Pvt. Ltd.’ According to the complainant, this was a direct violation of BCCI rules 38(4)(a) and 38(4)(p). Dhoni was also accused of not making mandatory disclosures under the amended rules in 2018.

Justice Mishra made it clear in his detailed order that no concrete case is made out against Dhoni. The main grounds of the decision are as follows:

Contract older than the rules: The order said that the agreement between Dhoni and Arka Sports was signed in 2017, while BCCI’s strict rules regarding conflict of interest came into force in September 2018. These rules cannot be applied with retrospective effect on old agreements.

Lack of decisive power: The Ethics Officer found that Dhoni is participating in the IPL only as a player. He has no ‘institutional control’ or ‘decision-making power’ within the BCCI or IPL to influence the administration of the game.

No evidence of bias: The judgment stressed that the complainant had failed to prove that Dhoni, as the owner of the academy, had given any ‘bias, prejudice or special treatment’ to any player or to the selection process.

Allegation of ‘personal grudge’
The surprising thing is that Justice Mishra also raised questions on the intentions of the complainant in his remarks. The order said that this complaint seems to be the result of ‘personal rivalry’ and ‘commercial dispute’ rather than any cricket interest. The complainant cannot use this platform to resolve disputes with any third party. It appears that the complainant wants to settle personal scores with the respondent (Dhoni) because he had suffered business losses.

Dhoni’s IPL credibility intact
This decision is a big victory for Mahendra Singh Dhoni, who has won the IPL title five times for Chennai Super Kings. The BCCI Ethics Officer made it clear that playing merely as a player without holding any administrative post does not amount to conflict of interest. This decision has not only kept Dhoni’s image spotless, but has also made it clear that in future, for such complaints against any player, it is mandatory to have solid evidence and administrative intervention.