CHENNAI: Following an IPL governing council meeting on Thursday, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) secretary Devajit Saikia sent a seven-page advisory to all 10 franchises. The advisory, in possession of this daily, is a fresh set of additional do's and dont's the 10 teams have to abide in light of a number of discrepancies. Here's an explainer on what the new advisory states...
Why did the BCCI feel the need to issue this mid tournament?
Behind the scenes, the board had seemingly noticed a number of alarming issues. To nip these in the bud, in the preamble of the document itself, the board says 'it has come to the attention of the BCCI that certain incidents of misconduct and protocol violations have occurred involving players, support staff and team officials during the course of the current IPL season. "These incidents, if left unaddressed, carry the potential to cause significant reputational harm..."
Any things that jump out from the document?
Take your pick. There are mentions of 'honey-trapping' the cricketers or officials. Or of players leaving the team hotel at 'irregular hours'. Or presenting accreditation cards. They are now making players wear their ID cards within 'event premises' including team hotels. There is now going to be a ban on team owners having accessibility to the players during a match. There's also going to be an official 'prohibition on vaping'.
Wait? What? Honey-trapping?
The BCCI do not want to make any chances so they have issued something encompassing this as well. It states: "The BCCI draws the attention of all Franchises to the well-documented risks of targeted compromise and honey-trapping that pervade high-profile sporting environments. The possibility of incidents giving rise to serious legal allegations, including those under applicable laws on sexual misconduct, cannot be discounted." While the document is silent on partners and family, there is a clause which says all movement will be monitored under a 'guest approval system'. "Implement and maintain a guest approval system for all hotel visits, with written records of every approved guest maintained on a daily basis."
Are the players free to travel with their wives or partners?
They are but it looks like there has to be prior approval for this as well. "Any planned movement outside the hotel, for personal, recreational, or any other purposes, must be communicated to the Team manager and the Security Liaison Officer in advance of the intended departure." Another clause states that 'no person, irrespective of their identity, relationship to the team member, or stated purpose, shall be permitted entry into a player's or support staff member's hotel room without the prior knowledge and explicit written approval of the Team Manager." Prima facie this may apply to players' wives or partners. It essentially means they themselves will have to take prior permission before seeing their own spouses.
What about vaping?
Ever since Riyan Parag was caught vaping inside the Royals' dressing room while a game was on, it has made the BCCI very uncomfortable. The board, in the advisory, has claimed that there have been 'instances' — plural — of 'vaping inside the dressing room and other restricted areas of tournament venues have been brought to the BCCI's attention. "It is pertinent to note that the use of vapes and electronic cigarettes is prohibited under applicable Indian law."
What are the consequences of non-compliance
Show-cause notice, financial penalties and, ultimately, suspension or disqualification depending on the offence. Suspension could stretch to subsequent IPL seasons as well.
