New Delhi:The BCCI is planning to impose stricter regulations on team environments following concerns about the movement of unauthorised people with franchises during the 2026 season. The proposed clampdown is expected to impact access to team hotels, dressing rooms, buses and other restricted areas connected to players and support staff.
Some of the biggest names in Indian cricket, including Yashasvi Jaiswal, Ishan Kishan and Arshdeep Singh, were seen hanging out with their rumoured partners around the franchise setups through the course of the tournament. Eventually, those appearances started to be discussed on the board, especially around anti-corruption protocols and accreditation procedures.
BCCI secretary Devajit Saikia admitted that the board had come across anomalies regarding team operations and movement during the season. He said there were concerns after people who weren’t authorised went into areas restricted to players and officials. The board has also expressed concerns over team owners and franchise representatives entering areas usually off-limits during matchdays and official travel schedules.
“The BCCI and the IPL are drafting an advisory which we will issue this evening. “We have seen a lot of unauthorised people moving along with team members or travelling in team buses. We have seen some unauthorised persons also entering hotels and visiting players’ rooms or team officials’ rooms, which is totally against our anti-corruption protocols. “Some team owners and officials have also been seen moving around with players in areas where they are not supposed to,” Saikia told ANI.
BCCI and IPL will take strict action: Saikia,The BCCI is expected to issue a formal advisory soon, asking franchises to tighten compliance for the rest of the season.
“This is something we’re very serious about. We are issuing an advisory and it will be adhered to very strictly”. “If there is any violation thereafter then BCCI and IPL will take very stringent action,” he said.
While the full framework remains unpublished, the proposed measures suggest more stringent checks on accreditation and stricter regulation of team movement. Player-only zones, hotels and official travel groups will probably only be available to authorised personnel.
The board also seems to have concerns about the relaxed manner in which some access rules were handled by the franchises during IPL 2026. There is no doubt that the television coverage and social media activity throughout the season repeatedly showed players accompanied by non-team members in close proximity to official setups.
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