The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), acting on the report submitted by the anti-corruption unit (ACU), has reportedly sent a stern warning to owners of all ten Indian Premier League (IPL) franchises for protocol breaches and their disastrous repercussions.
The BCCI has issued a seven-page document to all owners of the IPL teams after their players were caught vaping in dressing rooms, and there were reports of “unauthorized” people visiting players in their hotel rooms and being part of the dugout on a few occasions.
However, according to reports, it is not only the players who are disobeying the regulations; IPL club owners have also been caught violating the playing-area protocol by accessing forbidden areas during matches.
As per The Indian Express, some IPL team owners attempted to send messages to the dugout from the boxes, while a few attempted to physically interact with players during the game, the ACU stated.
Given the gravity of the violation, the BCCI has strongly advised the owners to remain in their assigned spaces during a game.
“One of the most worrying aspects has been the behavior of the team owners. They have been flouting rules and haven’t been cooperating. By way of evidence, there are photographs of them near the dugout. Some even carry their phones to the ground. They have been warned, but it hasn’t helped,” a source told The Indian Express.
This warning was part of the advisory the BCCI issued to all IPL franchises last week, giving them a reminder to follow all rules and regulations of the IPL's Player and Match Official Access (PMOA) Protocol.
In the advisory sent by BCCI secretary Devajit Sakia, the Indian cricket board said that “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.”
The BCCI also reminded them of possible punishments in case of future transgressions.
“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. Franchise management is responsible for ensuring that IPL franchise owners and their associates are fully briefed on the applicable protocolsbeforeo each match day,” the BCCI advisory warned, according to The Indian Express.
Additionally, the BCCI has requested that IPL players not fail to provide their accreditation cards to security guards.
“It has been brought to notice that certain team members have demonstrated reluctance in presenting their accreditation cards for verification when requested by authorized security personnel. This behavior is unacceptable and constitutes a breach of basic event security protocol,” the advisory read.
The BCCI also held a meeting with all IPL CEOs on Sunday, where all crucial matters were discussed.
