IPL governing council chairman Arun Dhumal has distanced himself from the controversy surrounding the Board of Control for Cricket in India’s (BCCI) recent “honey-trap” advisory during IPL 2026, asserting that the tournament remains “very clean” despite earlier warnings issued by BCCI secretary Devajit Saikia.Earlier this month, Saikia had circulated a detailed seven-page advisory to all 10 IPL franchises, warning players, support staff and officials about protocol breaches, security threats and possible “targeted compromise and honey-trapping” situations. The communication triggered widespread speculation after the term “honey-trap” surfaced publicly during Saikia’s media interaction. The issue quickly escalated on social media, where several cricketers’ partners faced trolling and online harassment amid baseless rumours.
However, Dhumal has now downplayed the concerns, saying no such incidents have come to his attention during the ongoing tournament.
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Speaking to TimesofIndia.com, he said, “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.”While acknowledging that a few avoidable incidents had occurred this season, the IPL chairman maintained that none justified the scale of panic created after the advisory became public. “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 advisory had imposed strict regulations across franchises, including restrictions on visitors in players’ hotel rooms, mandatory reporting of player movement outside team hotels, compulsory display of accreditation cards and limitations on interactions between franchise owners and players inside dugout areas. The board stated that repeated violations could damage the reputation of both the IPL and the BCCI.Interestingly, Dhumal also clarified that he was unaware 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,” he said.IPL 2026 has witnessed a few off-field controversies already. Rajasthan Royals mentor Romi Bhinder was fined for allegedly using a mobile phone inside the dugout, while Rajasthan Royals captain Riyan Parag was penalised 25 per cent of his match fees after being caught vaping during a match against Punjab Kings.
