The BCCI has taken serious note of the repeated violations of the guidelines issued to franchisees participating in the IPL. The rules require team owners to stay away from the dugout during matches. Also no verbal or physical contact should be made with players or team staff. However, the BCCI has expressed its displeasure at the fact that some owners have been accused of violating these rules on several occasions. It has warned that strict action will be taken if anyone violates the rules. “One of the most worrying aspects is the behavior of the team owners. They are not only breaking the rules but also not cooperating. There are photos of them near the dugout as proof of this. Some are even taking their phones into the field. They were warned but to no avail,” said an officer.
Some untoward incidents and protocol violations have come to the notice of the board’s Anti-Corruption Unit (ACU) this season. Alarmed by this, BCCI formulated some rules and put them into effect immediately. It prohibits unauthorized persons from entering the hotel rooms of players, support staff and team officials. Further, any guest to enter the players’ rooms will have to take express written permission from the team manager. To this extent, BCCI Secretary Devjit Saikia has written letters to the CEOs of 10 franchises.
