Now comes word that warnings issued by the Board of Control for Cricket in India about “honey-trapping” ahead of IPL 2026 stirred plenty of talk. Still, Arun Dhumal, head of the IPL council, says those worries seem overblown, claims he hasn’t seen proof that anything actually happened.

BCCI secretary Devajit Saikia sent a long memo to every one of the 10 IPL teams. Because of rising concerns, he spelled out risks like broken rules, safety dangers, and even scenarios where players or support crew might be lured into traps using personal relationships. When reporters asked him about it later, the phrase “honey-trap” slipped into public view. Once that happened, things spiraled fast – social platforms lit up with guesses, then attacks aimed at some cricketers’ significant others started spreading wildly.

BCCI’s honey trap incident sparks debate, IPL chairman discards the claims

These days, Dhumal says he hasn’t heard about any of those events happening at all.
“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,” Dhumal told TOI.

Even though some preventable disputes came up during the season, Dhumal stood by his view. None called for the reaction sparked once the BCCI advisory got out.
“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,” he added.

The BCCI dropped a seven-page note reminding franchises that random people can’t just wander into dugouts, team buses, hotels, or off-limits zones. Suddenly, rules tightened around who gets near players in hotel rooms, how freely they move, and even whom they meet within the Player and Match officials areas.
From the start, Saikia pointed out multiple lapses in conduct and procedure noticed by the BCCI throughout IPL 2026. His message reached franchise leaders directly, highlighting repeated issues on display during matches.
“It has come to the attention of the BCCI that certain incidents of misconduct and protocol violation have occurred involving players, support staff, and team officials during the course of the current IPL season,” Saikia wrote.

“These incidents, if left unaddressed, carry the potential to cause significant reputational harm to the tournament, the franchise concerned, and the BCCI as the governing body.”

Inside the hotel, guests could only see athletes if they had a signed pass. When players left their accommodations, someone always needed to know where they went. Every person at the venue wore an ID badge, clearly shown. Team owners found it harder to speak with competitors near the field, especially once games began.

Oddly enough, Dhumal stepped away from explaining what led to Saikia’s disputed comments about a honey trap. Though he didn’t endorse them, his silence spoke louder than words ever could.
“I am not privy to any such information either. He would be the best person to comment on that,” Dhumal said.

“But nothing of the sort has happened in this edition, as far as my understanding and knowledge go. I haven’t heard his comment, so I would not want to comment on that.”

A handful of behind-the-scenes issues have popped up early in IPL 2026. During a game, Vaibhav Sooryavanshi’s guide, Romi Bhinder, got caught with a phone in the team area – resulting in a ₹1 lakh penalty.

A cloud of vapor curled near the boundary rope when Riyan Parag puffed on an e-cigarette mid-match against the Punjab Kings. Officials spotted him between overs, triggering a financial penalty. A quarter of his earnings for that contest vanished into thin air like the smoke he exhaled. Rules prohibit such acts under tournament guidelines.