Concrete evidence against some of the players and support staff forced the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) to warn franchises about the potential dangers of targeted honey-trapping in IPL 2026.
In a seven-page document, as reported by The Telegraph in Friday’s edition, BCCI secretary Devajit Saikia has cautioned the teams against situations that could lead to serious allegations, including those related to sexual misconduct, and urged teams to remain vigilant.
The BCCI’s operations team will conduct surprise checks on IPL franchises to keep a tab on the players and support staff’s adherence to the new set of
guidelines issued late on Thursday evening.
It is understood that at least three Indian players have come under scrutiny for not following the norms. An Indian fast bowler has been told by the franchise to stop blogging and posting on social media. Another franchise has told its players to stop posting videos on social media during the tournament following the BCCI’s guidelines.
An overseas support staff member of a prominent franchise reportedly had three girlfriends during the course of last year’s tournament and it didn’t escape the watchdog’s attention.
Saikia, in his communication, has said outsiders will not be allowed to IPL team members’ rooms without prior knowledge and approval of the team manager. But
the question that seems to haunt several of the franchise brass is how will the
manager be aware of any irregularities committed by an ‘outsider’?
The advisory stated that numerous instances were highlighted where “certain players and support staff members” had allowed people to access their hotel rooms without prior permission from the team manager. “In a number of instances, the Team Manager was entirely unaware of the presence of such visitors,” the advisory said.
The BCCI said it was important to keep the rooms and spaces used by teams at hotels out of bounds for unauthorised persons.
“BCCI draws the attention of all franchises to the well-documented risks of targeted compromise and honey-trapping that pervade high-profile sporting environments. The possibility of incidents giving rise to serious legal allegations, including those under applicable laws on sexual misconduct, cannot be discounted,” Saikia said.
The BCCI has also taken note of the unauthorised movement by the players without informing the security liaison officers (SLOs).
“Instances have been noted of players and support staff leaving team hotels at irregular hours without informing the designated Security Liaison Officers (SLOs) or Team Integrity Officer (TIOs). Such departures create significant security vulnerabilities and expose individuals to risks that cannot be mitigated if the relevant personnel are uninformed,” Saikia said and laid down strict clauses for the players’ movement.
The Board has observed that certain IPL franchise owners have not adhered to the Player and Match Official Access (PMOA) protocols. It has laid down some strict rules for owners, which include:
(a) IPL franchise owners and their representatives are strictly prohibited from communicating with or physically accessing players or team officials in the dugout, dressing room, or playing area during the course of a match, except through designated and approved channels.
(b) All IPL franchise owner-level access to restricted zones must strictly conform
to the PMOA Protocol as communicated by the IPL Operations Division. Any deviation shall be treated as a serious violation.
(c) Franchise management is responsible for ensuring that IPL franchise owners and their associates are fully briefed on the applicable protocols prior to each match day.
Saikia has also warned teams about the consequences of non-compliance with the guidelines, stating that any violations will be treated as a serious disciplinary matter.
The guidelines are also expected to come in force when the players are on national duty.