3 times CSK were embroiled in an off-field controversy
Chennai Super Kings (CSK), five-time Indian Premier League (IPL) champions and one of the most successful teams in the league's history are under the spotlight before the start of the 2025 season.
While CSK did a fairly commendable job at the recently concluded two-day auction to build a strong-looking squad for the upcoming season, the franchise are also in talks for another reason it would not want to recall.
An old controversy is a point of discussion again as former IPL governer Lalit Modi came out and opened up, making strong allegations against former BCCI president and CSK owner N Srinivasan after the 2025 season auction concluded, accusing him of influencing umpiring decisions in favor of CSK by appointing Chennai-based umpires for the team's matches during the IPL.
In a video circulating on X, Modi alleged that Srinivasan, who played a pivotal role in the Indian cricket administration, opposed him when he attempted to uncover the umpiring controversy. He further accused Srinivasan of manipulating the bidding process for England all-rounder Andrew Flintoff during an IPL auction and engaging in other questionable practices within the league.
These claims have reignited debates about the integrity of administrative decisions in the IPL's formative years, adding another layer to the long-standing controversies surrounding the league.
On that note, here are the three times CSK were embroiled in an off-field controversy
#3 Lalit Modi accusing Srinivasan of appointing Chennai-based umpires in CSK matches
As mentioned above, Lalit Modi has accused Srinivasan of changing umpires. He said that the former BCCI president would appoint Chennai umpires during CSK's matches in the league.
"I accused him for it. He would tell he would change the umpire and I didn't think two things about it. But then I realized he is putting Chennai umpire in my game, it's an issue for me. That's called fixing so when I tried to expose those, he went totally against me," he said in the recent video circulating on X.
If the allegations are true, this amounts to indirect match-fixing by rigging the system for umpiring fixing. Moreover, he also accused Srinivasan of rigging the auction to get English all-rounder Andrew Flintoff into the team, where no teams bid for him to allow CSK to buy Flintoff.
#2 N Srinivasan's conflict of interest
The then-secretary of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), N Srinivasan was a part of a massive conflict of interest controversy. When the IPL started in 2008, Srinivasan was the secretary of the BCCI.
However, he bent the rules of the BCCI for personal interests. According to BCCI's regulation Clause 6.2.4, no administrator could have commercial interests in events that would be conducted by the Indian Cricket Board.
But when the IPL began in 2008, the clause was conveniently amended to let administrators have stakes in IPL franchises. As a result, Srinivasan was then able to take ownership of CSK.
#1 Spot-fixing and betting allegations that led to CSK's two-year ban
The darkest controversy in the history of the IPL also involves CSK. While they are one of the most successful teams in the league, the franchise faced a two-year ban in 2016 and 2017.
A key figure in this controversy was Gurunath Meiyappan, former team principal of CSK. Meiyappan was found guilty of carrying out illegal betting activities during the 2013 IPL season. Identified as a team official after being found guilty of betting, Gurunath was banned for life from being involved in any type of cricket match.
Subsequently, the franchise (CSK) was also banned from the IPL for two years and did not participate in the 2016 and 2017 editions of the league.