Saikia stressed that team decorum must be maintained to prevent adverse effects on the league's reputation.
Rajasthan Royals (RR) have been at the forefront of controversies in the ongoing Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 season, primarily involving captain Riyan Parag, who was fined 25% of his match fee for vaping in the dressing room during a match against Punjab Kings (PBKS).
Earlier, RR team manager Romi Bhinder was caught using a phone in the dugout. He was penalized INR 1 lakh for violating the anti-corruption protocols.
Beyond individual penalties, the BCCI is now exploring stringent action against the IPL franchises that continue to breach norms and guidelines.
On the sidelines of the squad announcement for the Women's T20 World Cup, BCCI secretary Devajit Saikia announced that the board has reached a saturation point regarding behavioral misconduct and is reviewing protocols to strictly punish teams involved in such incidents.
"We are exploring some other options about how to bring the teams which are violating the norms," Saikia said, as quoted by ESPNCricinfo.
“We will be taking some action. We are looking at the various terms and conditions and protocols of IPL [around] how the teams behave,” he added.
Saikia expressed serious concern over the image of the IPL, stating that team decorum must be maintained to prevent adverse effects on the league's reputation.
“It is not just players or officials. As a team, they have to maintain some decorum so that the image of the IPL is never adversely affected. To ensure that we have to take a call and we will be taking some action,” he remarked.
On a separate note, Devajit Saikia confirmed that venues for the IPL 2026 playoffs will be finalized within a "day or two." While tradition suggests finalists from the previous season (Bengaluru and New Chandigarh) often host, he remained tight-lipped and kept the suspense alive.
"We are working on what could be the appropriate venue for the IPL playoffs and the final. So, we will take another two days' time," the BCCI secretary told reporters in Mumbai.
When asked whether Mullanpur and Bengaluru are the front-runners to stage the playoff fixtures, Saikia replied, “You can keep guessing, but I am not going to give you a reply. We will take a call in two days' time.”
The BCCI are yet to unveil the itinerary for the IPL 2026 playoffs, and the governing body has just confirmed that the final would be played on May 31. The league stage will be over on May 24, and the final four matches - Qualifier 1, Eliminator, Qualifier 2 and the final will be held between May 24 and 31.
In all probability, Qualifier 1 will be played on May 26, followed by the Eliminator on May 27. Qualifier 2 is expected to go ahead on May 29 with the final two days later.