The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) secretary Devajit Saikia said that the reel culture doesn't bother him as social media is here to stay. In the recently-concluded Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026, there was an advisory from Saikia cautioning the franchises against potential ‘honey traps’. There were reports of a commentator recording a social media video near a team's dugout during a match which did not sit well with the board. While the initial notion was that BCCI wants to curb the reel culture, Saikia said that there is a need to adjust as per the trend. However, he is firm on his stand against unauthorised personnel travelling with the team or be present at team meetings which are confidential.
“Personally, I’m not bothered because you have to go with the technology and the things that are becoming popular on various platforms over time," Saikia told Hindustan Times.
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“Nobody thought about social media or any of these things when IPL started in 2008 or thereafter for the next 12-13 years. But now this is the trend.
“So we have to adjust ourselves to the trend. But that does not allow anyone to intrude into team meetings or team activities, or onto buses or into areas where other unauthorised persons are not supposed to enter," he added.
Saikia does not want social media to cross the line and adhere to the IPL protocols.
“We are just ensuring that social media do not cross the line, which is where they are not allowed to travel. So that is the only thing we are concerned about. Those things will definitely grow, but they must follow the IPL protocols," he said.
Saikia also recalled when the Anti Corruption Unit (ACU) alerted them to address small issues during the IPL 2026 which had the potential to evolve into major controversies later on. As a result, protocols like players not meeting people in their hotel rooms until and unless permission is obtained from team manager in written were introduced.
“When our anti-corruption team found many small issues that could have blown into a major controversy later, they said we had to do something at the very beginning. We have to nip it in the bud. Therefore, once we received the status or brief report on the various violations of the IPL protocols, we issued advisories to ensure and pre-empt any foul play in the IPL movement," he said.