Former business associates of MS Dhoni, the ex-captain of Team India, have initiated a defamation lawsuit in the Delhi High Court targeting the cricketer.

Business partners Mihir Diwakar and Soumya Das have petitioned the court for orders to prevent MS Dhoni and those representing him from making defamatory accusations related to an alleged violation of a contract from 2017.

The agreement, which involved MS Dhoni and Aarka Sports Management (owned by Diwakar and Das), was designed to establish cricket academies in India and worldwide.

The lawsuit is slated for a hearing on January 18 before the bench, presided over by Justice Prathiba M. Singh.

The plaintiffs assert that Dhoni and his representatives have leveled defamatory accusations, alleging that Diwakar and Das deceived Dhoni by allegedly failing to fulfill the terms of the contract, resulting in a purported loss of nearly Rs. 15 crore.

Diwakar alleges that Counsel for Dhoni, Dayanand Sharma, conducted a press conference on January 6, 2024, making these accusations before a court verdict. Diwakar contends that these statements have tarnished his image, adversely affecting his reputation.

The plaintiffs are seeking a court order to restrain Dhoni and his representatives from making any further defamatory remarks. Furthermore, they have requested directions for platforms such as X (formerly Twitter), Google, YouTube, Meta (Facebook), and various news platforms to remove purportedly defamatory articles and posts against them.

The plaintiffs initiated the lawsuit in response to Dhoni filing a criminal case in Ranchi against Diwakar and Das. Dhoni accused them of breaching the 2017 contract, which involved the establishment of cricket academies and sports complexes globally under names such as ‘MS Dhoni Cricket Academy,’ ‘MS Dhoni Sports Academy,’ or ‘MS Dhoni Sports Complex.’

The criminal complaint includes charges under Section 406 (criminal breach of trust), 420 (cheating), 467 (forgery), 468 (forgery for the purpose of cheating), 471 (using a forged document or electronic record as genuine), and 120B (criminal conspiracy) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) at District Court Ranchi.