Delhi High Court orders blocking of rogue websites streaming IPL 2025

The Delhi High Court recently granted an injunction in favour of Star India Private Limited, restraining several rogue websites from illegally streaming the ongoing Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025 matches. .The Court’s order, passed by Justice Saurabh Banerjee, also directed domain registrars and internet service providers (ISPs) to block access to these infringing platforms."In view of the aforesaid circumstances, discussions and analyses, this Court is of the view that the plaintiff has been able to make out a prima facie case with the balance of convenience in its favour for grant of an ex parte ad interim injunction, not only qua the present but also qua the future, without which the plaintiff will likely suffer irreparable harm, loss, injury and prejudice which will not be compensable in terms of money.".Star India argued that it holds exclusive broadcasting rights for IPL 2025 under agreements with the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) and Viacom18. It submitted evidence showing that websites like mobicric.org, crictime.pk, and crichdplayer.org were illegally streaming matches, including the recent Women’s Premier League 2025, without authorisation. It wa emphasised that these "rogue websites" use URL redirection and domain masking to evade previous court orders and continue their operations under new identities.Star's lawyers cited cases where courts granted dynamic injunctions to block mirror websites as they emerged. It also highlighted the financial and reputational harm caused by piracy, noting that illegal streams divert viewers from legitimate platforms like Jio Hotstar, affecting advertising revenue and subscription numbers..The Court acknowledged Star India's submissions regarding the "hydra-headed" nature of such infringing websites, which often re-appear under different domain names or as mirror sites even after being blocked. Justice Banerjee emphasised the urgent need for a real-time solution to protect Star India's rights."The said “rogue websites” are also employing the URL-redirection and identity masking methods as noted above, putting the plaintiff in an even more precarious condition to defend itself against their infringing actions. Under such circumstances, the defendants’ silence/ inaction to notices demonstrates the “hydra-headed” nature of these “rogue websites” which, even if blocked, multiply and resurface as alphanumeric or mirror websites within seconds.".The Court thus granted a dynamic injunction, allowing Star India to notify ISPs and registrars of any new mirror or alphanumeric websites that emerge during IPL 2025. ISPs, including Airtel, Jio and ACT Fibernet, were directed to immediately block such websites upon receiving notice.Furthermore, the domain name providers were directed to disclose registrant details (names, contact info, payment methods) of the rogue websites to assist legal action.The Department of Telecommunications (DoT) and the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) have also been instructed to ensure ISPs comply with blocking orders..Star was represented by Advocates Sidharth Chopra, Yatinder Garg, Akshay Maloo and Priyansh Kohli from Saikrishna & Associates..[Read order]