Sun TV Takes CSK to Court Over Unauthorized Rajinikanth Audio Use

Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) and its owner Kavya Maran have had a busy and controversial week. Earlier, the team was in the spotlight after Sunrisers Leeds bought Pakistani spinner Abrar Ahmed at The Hundred auction, which upset many Indian fans.

Now, they are involved in another issue. Sun TV Network has sued Chennai Super Kings (CSK) in the Madras High Court. The case is about CSK using songs, dialogues, and background music from Rajinikanth’s movies, Jailer, Jailer 2, and Coolie, in a video to show their new IPL 2026 jersey. The video was released on March 1, got a lot of attention online, and was later removed and re-uploaded with changed music.

Sun TV Sues CSK Over Unauthorized Use of Rajinikanth Film Audio

It seems the video changes were not random. Sun TV told the court that it owns the films and that composer Anirudh Ravichander had given all music rights to the company in writing. They said CSK used this copyrighted music without permission on Instagram, X, YouTube, and Facebook.

Sun TV also said the video helped CSK sell their IPL 2026 jerseys and merchandise. Each jersey costs Rs 2,399, and using Rajinikanth’s movie music in the campaign could clearly boost sales.

Sun TV has asked the court to stop CSK from using its copyrighted music and also wants details about any money earned from using it without permission. In court, Sun TV’s lawyer J Ravindran said CSK had already stopped using the music after receiving an official email on March 1. CSK’s lawyer PS Raman said the team had indeed stopped and would ask for permission in the future if they wanted to use such material again.

This case is interesting because Tamil film music and dialogues are often used in IPL social media posts, especially by Chennai teams. CSK and other franchises have often used movie references before, but this is the first time a production company has directly taken a team to court over it.