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The Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 has seen a number of controversies. The most recent victim of it is Punjab Kings (PBKS). The franchise had urged media and others to stop sharing unverified information amid a nosedive season. Some social media posts also left a sour taste, leading to the questions around presence of content creators. It led to the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) sharing guidelines for all IPL franchises with social media being at the centre. As the IPL 2026 approaches its business end with playoffs spots up for grabs, IPL chairman Arun Dhumal said that he is not in favour of social media use for players.
"Most of the things that happen on social media, one cannot always be sure about the authenticity or how true they are. But whatever we need to do in terms of keeping the integrity of the game intact, we do our level best. There is much more that comes into the media than what actually is, so you have to take it with a pinch of salt," Dhumal told India Today when asked about whether the governing council has mulled over the thought of controlling players' social media.
Dhumal says mid-season guidelines were regular directive
However, Dhumal doesn't see the directives as a knee-jerk reactions or damage control. He is confident that the franchises will make the necessary changes and adhere to the policies to keep the integrity of the game intact.
"That is a regular directive that has been there for sure, but given those small scenes that took place, we thought we can reinforce those. I'm very confident that franchises know their responsibilities very clearly and they adhere to that because it is not that the BCCI would only get affected if the tournament gets affected, it would affect everyone,” Dhumal said.
“All of them are very responsible and they know that for sure. So it's always a collective effort of BCCI and all the franchises wherein we make sure that the integrity of the game is respected and the quality of games is maintained," he added.
Dhumal expects players to use human relationships over social media
Dhumal went on to say that he is not in favour of social media's usage. However, instead of enforcing it on players, he expects them to grow and make the decision for themselves.
"Social media, I would say, is the most anti-social thing," he said with a smile.
"So I'm personally not in favour of social media. I do believe there has to be a lot of socialisation as players and as individuals, but unfortunately, I deem it as the most anti-social thing,” he opined.
"No (on regulation of social media use), people (players) would eventually understand. People get the fancy of this thing for some time, but eventually you understand that it is the real human values and human relationships that matter. And more in terms of the kind of technological intervention that we are having, the core human values would be the most premium," he further added.
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