Mahendra Singh Dhoni has got a big relief before IPL 2026. Justice Arun Mishra, the Ethics Officer of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), has dismissed the conflict of interest complaint filed against former India captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni. Justice Mishra has said that there is no evidence of any violation under the rules of the board.
In the complaint filed in February 2024, it was claimed that Dhoni, besides being a current player, was also the owner of a cricket academy. This situation allegedly violated Rule 38(4)(A) and Rule 38(4)(P) of the BCCI’s conflict-of-interest rules. In the complaint, he was also accused of not meeting the disclosure requirements under Rules 38(2) and 38(5) after the rules were changed in 2018.
In his order, Justice Mishra noted that Dhoni can actually be seen as the owner of the cricket academy run by M/s Arka Sports and Management Pvt. Ltd.
“Therefore, Mahendra Singh Dhoni can be said to be the owner of the cricket academy opened by M/s Arka Sports Management Pvt. Ltd. However, the agreement was entered into in 2017, while the regulations came into force in September 2018. On the facts, there was no conflict of interest at the time when Mahendra Singh Dhoni represented India as captain/player,” the order said.
Noting that the complainant was raising a personal issue rather than a genuine regulatory concern, the Ethics Officer also questioned the motive behind the complaint.
“There was no evidence to suggest institutional control or decision-making authority, nor was there any case of favoritism, bias or special treatment,” the order said.
However, he emphasized that the agreement for the academy was signed in 2017, before BCCI’s conflict-of-interest regulations came into force. “The complainant cannot actually represent a third party in this adjudicatory forum. Moreover, the complainant has his own personal conflict as the respondent has caused harm to him,” the order said.
It further said that the matter appears to be related to a commercial dispute and the complaint was filed with considerable delay. The order further said, “In view of the discussions and findings stated above, the complaint is dismissed.”
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