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The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) is set to take measures to curb the ‘girlfriend culture’ in the Indian Premier League (IPL). As per a Dainik Jagran report, the board is not concerned about players' families travelling and staying with them throughout the season. However, they have reservations against girlfriends citing concerns about those who are influencers on social media and had previously promoted betting apps/websites. The report claims that the Anti-Corruption Unit (ACU) representative had been told to not object to “official girlfriends” staying with players.
“A BCCI official has stated that discussions are underway. There are no issues with wives and family members travelling with players, but the matter is considered more serious in the case of girlfriends. Earlier, girlfriends were not allowed to stay with players during the IPL, but it has now become a trend,” the report claimed.
“When a BCCI official raised the issue with a member of the Anti-Corruption Unit, the representative said they are not permitted to object to wives and “official girlfriends”. When the board questioned the term “official girlfriend”, the member said that is what they had been instructed.”
Not just influencers, BCCI has expressed concerns around IPL players facing police cases from current or past girlfriends tarnishing the image of the league.
“Among them (girlfriends) are several influencers who have previously promoted betting (gambling) websites. Recently, some IPL players have also faced Police cases filed by their female companions,” the report mentioned.
How BCCI has handed violations in IPL so far
In the ongoing season, BCCI has already taken actions against Rajasthan Royals (RR) team manager Romi Bhinder and captain Riyan Parag. Bhinder was spotted using smartphone in the dugout with 15-year-old opener Vaibhav Sooryavanshi seated beside him. Then, Parag was caught smoking/vaping in the dressing room during the match against Punjab Kings (PBKS). BCCI secretary Devajit Saikia had ensured that the board is mulling over stricter punishment to ‘ensure that the reputation of IPL remains intact’. BCCI had already fined Bhinder Rs 1 lakh for PMOA protocol breach. Then, Parag was fined 25 per cent of his match fee and handed a demerit point.
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