The Board of Control for Cricket in India’s (BCCI) strict IPL 2026 advisory around “honey-trapping” and protocol breaches had started panic and speculation earlier this month. But now, IPL governing council chairman Arun Dhumal has publicly distanced himself from those concerns, saying he is unaware of any such incidents taking place during the tournament.
BCCI secretary Devajit Saikia had earlier sent a detailed advisory to all 10 IPL franchises, warning them about security risks, misconduct and possible “targeted compromise and honey-trapping” situations involving players and team staff. The communication created a major stir after the term “honey-trap” surfaced publicly during Saikia’s media interaction. Soon after, several cricketers’ partners were subjected to online harassment and speculation on social media platforms.
However, Dhumal has now clarified that no such issue has come to his notice during IPL 2026. “There has been no issue as such with regard to honey-trapping or things like that, to my knowledge. This is a very clean tournament,” Dhumal told TimesofIndia.com.
Arun Dhumal says IPL 2026 remains ‘very clean’
While the IPL chairman acknowledged a few avoidable incidents this season, he insisted there was nothing serious enough to support the fears that emerged after the BCCI advisory.
“Yes, there have been some issues. For example, the Riyan Parag [vaping] incident, which we could have avoided. Barring that, I don’t think there was any such incident,” Dhumal added.
The BCCI’s earlier seven-page advisory had warned franchises about unauthorised personnel entering dugouts, team hotels and restricted areas. It also imposed strict rules regarding visitors in hotel rooms, player movement and interactions inside Player and Match Officials Areas (PMOA).
Saikia had written to franchise CEOs saying the board had observed “incidents of misconduct and protocol violation” involving players, support staff and officials during the tournament. “It has come to the attention of the BCCI that certain incidents of misconduct and protocol violation have occurred involving players, support staff, and team officials during the course of the current IPL season,” Saikia wrote.
“These incidents, if left unaddressed, carry the potential to cause significant reputational harm to the tournament, the franchise concerned, and the BCCI as the governing body.”
BCCI’s new hotel room rules
| Rule | Directive |
|---|---|
| Visitors in rooms | Strictly prohibited without written approval |
| Meetings with guests | Allowed only in public hotel areas |
| Team hotel exits | Mandatory intimation to SLO/TIO |
| Accreditation cards | Must be displayed at all times |
| Dugout interaction | Owners barred from approaching players |
IPL chairman distances himself from Saikia’s remarks
Interestingly, Dhumal also made it clear that he was not aware of the exact context behind Saikia’s “honey-trap” remarks. “I am not privy to any such information either. He would be the best person to comment on that,” Dhumal said.
“But nothing of the sort has happened in this edition, as far as my understanding and knowledge go. I haven’t heard his comment, so I would not want to comment on that.”
The IPL has already witnessed multiple off-field controversies this season. Romi Bhinder, mentor of Rajasthan Royals youngster Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, was fined INR 1 lakh after being spotted using a mobile phone inside the dugout during a match. Rajasthan Royals captain Riyan Parag was also fined 25 per cent of his match fees after being caught vaping during a game against Punjab Kings.
