BCCI secretary Devajit Saikia cautions teams on protocol breaches; insists there won’t be any tolerance shown
BCCI has expressed strong apprehensions about the infiltration of unauthorized persons in the dugouts, buses, and hotels of IPL teams based on information collected by BCCI’s ACU. In response to this development, BCCI has issued a new advisory to all IPL franchises. A meeting between the Chief Executives of various IPL teams will also be held in the coming days.
The Anti-Corruption Unit has sent multiple reports to the board, regarding individuals being found in restricted areas during the ongoing IPL season, said BCCI Secretary Devajit Saikia.
BCCI Issues Fresh Advisory to IPL Franchises
Speaking on the matter, Saikia said several violations had been noticed involving unauthorised people travelling with teams and accessing areas reserved strictly for players and support staff.
“Unauthorised persons are travelling in the team bus. There are unauthorised persons in team hotels, and there are some unauthorised persons in the dugout area. Some people have been spotted in places where they are not supposed to be,” Saikia said.
He added that the protocols and advisories regarding player and team conduct have existed since the IPL’s inception in 2008, but franchises and associated personnel have become “casual” in following them.
“All these norms and advisories are already part of the protocols. But people are becoming casual nowadays, so we are reminding them that we will not show any leniency if there’s any violation,” he said.
The BCCI has now scheduled a meeting involving IPL franchise CEOs, expected to take place by Saturday, either virtually or in person, to reiterate the seriousness of the matter and ensure stricter compliance.
ACU Inputs Prompt Further Investigation
Saikia credited the BCCI’s Anti-Corruption Unit for identifying the irregularities and described the unit as “very proactive, very prompt, and very professional.”
The ACU is headed by retired IPS officer Sharad Kumar. According to Saikia, the unit has provided the board with intelligence inputs that go beyond the incidents already reported publicly.
“We have got all these reports from our anti-corruption unit. We have been very proactive… they have pointed out, we have to take action,” Saikia said.
He added that some of the findings from the ACU investigation have yet to be made public, but action is planned on the basis of those results.
Rajasthan Royals Incidents Already Under BCCI Scrutiny
The two incidents officially acknowledged by the BCCI so far are linked to the Rajasthan Royals.
In one case, a team manager was reprimanded for using a mobile phone inside the dugout, an act that violated IPL regulations. In another, a video involving team captain Riyan Parag, vaping inside the dressing room surfaced online, prompting disciplinary action from the board.
Saikia stated, “These incidents are already in the public domain, and we have taken action.”
Further clarifying that the investigation into the vaping incident is still on, and needed actions may follow.
“We might take further action in the vaping incident as it’s still open. We are not sitting idle. We want everybody to know that these kinds of things will not be tolerated in the IPL or in any BCCI match,” he said.
2013 Spot-Fixing Case Recalled Amid Fresh Concerns
This situation has also brought back to light the incident involving the fixing of matches in the IPL held in 2013.
The son-in-law of former BCCI President N Srinivasan – Gurunath Meiyappan- played a major part in this incident and was also the owner of the CSK franchise.
Meiyappan was convicted of betting illegally and also feeding inside information to bookies. As a result, he was banned for life from any activity related to cricket.
BCCI has made its intentions very clear that it plans to put more stringent compliance mechanisms in place to prevent such instances in the current IPL season.
