BCCI And IPL In Soup Over Naming Their Robot Camera Dog 'Champak'

Before MS Dhoni put the robotic camera dog on its back instead of the four limbs, not many people would have noticed the robotic camera dog being used in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025. 

However, once it was revealed that the dog’s name is Champak, which clashes with a children’s magazine brand of the same name, the IPL and Board Of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), the parent organisation of the league, are now in a soup over the naming of the dog. 

The Delhi High Court on April 30 (Wednesday) sought a reply from the BCCI after the publishers of the Champak Magazine, the Delhi Press Patra Prakashan Pvt Ltd, filed a case against the Indian cricket board for infringement of trademark. BCCI has till July 9 to respond to the query, as the matter’s next hearing is scheduled for that date.

Champak magazine has been published regularly since 1968.

A funny incident occurred during the hearing, as the learned judge against whom the matter was listed made a remark saying Virat Kohli's nickname is 'Chiku', which is also one of the characters in Champak magazine. Why did the publisher not proceed against him?

To that, the plaintiff said, the Indian Premier League (IPL) is a commercial venture and is advertising, marketing and earnings.