IPL Anti-Corruption Code: Why Phones In The Dugout Are Forbidden

Every IPL season produces at least one controversy that sends fans hunting for the fine print of a rulebook most of them have never read. In 2026, it is a Rajasthan Royals team manager filmed using a phone in the dugout during the RR vs RCB match — a breach of the IPL's anti-corruption protocol that led to a formal BCCI probe and a ₹1 lakh fine. This piece is not about who is at fault. It is about what the rule actually says, why it exists, and how strictly it is enforced.

The quick answer

Under the IPL Anti-Corruption Code and the Players and Match Officials Area (PMOA) protocols, no player, coach, manager or support staff is permitted to carry or use a mobile phone, smartwatch, or any other communication device in the dugout during an IPL match. All personal devices must be switched off and deposited with the designated PMOA steward before entering the dugout. Only a designated team analyst may use a laptop at an approved station for match-related data. Breaches are investigated by the BCCI's Anti-Corruption and Security Unit (ACSU). The 2026 Romi Bhinder case is a live application of the rule — not a unique carve-out.

The PMOA — what it is

PMOA stands for the Players and Match Officials Area. This covers:

• The dugout (where the non-batting team and support staff sit)
• The adjacent team bench areas
• The corridor between the dressing room and the field of play
• The on-field warm-up zones

Everyone entering the PMOA must be accredited. That includes players, coaches, physios, trainers, analysts, team managers and, in some cases, owners with official credentials.

The phone rule — exactly as written

The ICC Anti-Corruption Code, which the BCCI adopts with minor adaptations for the IPL, states:

No Participant shall be permitted to possess or use in the Players and Match Officials Area any mobile telephone or other communication device during the course of a Match.

The IPL extends this with PMOA-specific enforcement rules:

1. All personal devices must be switched off before entering the dugout.
2. Devices must be handed to the designated PMOA steward at the entry point.
3. A single team analyst may operate a laptop at a designated and monitored station.
4. Team managers may only use a phone inside the dressing room (not the dugout) and only for non-match-related communication with approved contacts.

That last clause matters. A manager is allowed to carry a phone in the dressing room. Not the dugout. And even in the dressing room, the phone usage is restricted to approved communications.

Why the rule exists

The rule pre-dates the IPL. It was designed by the ICC's Anti-Corruption Unit in the 2000s, after a series of investigations linked real-time match communication to spot-fixing patterns. The logic:

• Spot-fixing requires timing. A fixer needs to know exactly when a specific delivery is coming. The easiest way to co-ordinate that timing is a quick phone call or text from inside the dugout.
• Dugouts have live match information no broadcaster does. A coach knows which bowler is coming on two overs ahead of the viewer. That information, if leaked, moves betting markets.
• The dressing room is not broadcastable. Unlike the field of play, the dugout does not have full-match camera coverage. A phone there is invisible to regulators unless a breach is reported.

Taken together, the rule is less about paranoia and more about closing a specific, historically documented fixing channel.

A brief history of breaches

The anti-corruption code has been tested several times:

• IPL 2013. Multiple spot-fixing arrests that eventually led to the suspension of franchises. Phone usage was a central evidentiary item.
• 2015. A team assistant coach fined for receiving a call during a match.
• 2019. A support-staff member observed using a phone in the dugout. The matter was dealt with internally after a formal reprimand.
• 2022. A team manager flagged for a smartwatch being visible during warm-ups. Rule extended to explicitly cover smartwatches.
• 2026. The current RR incident involving team manager Romi Bhinder.

The pattern is clear: breaches are rarely about deliberate corruption. Most are careless moments — taking a personal call, checking a message, not realising the smartwatch counts. The BCCI's enforcement has consistently treated first-time breaches as protocol violations rather than integrity breaches.

The 2026 Rajasthan Royals incident — what we know

During the RR vs RCB fixture, video circulated showing RR team manager Romi Bhinder using a phone inside the dugout. The clip was picked up and amplified on social media within hours. The BCCI's Anti-Corruption and Security Unit opened a probe, and by April 12 had fined the RR manager ₹1 lakh and issued a formal anti-corruption warning.

Key points:

• The BCCI has not suggested any corruption motive.
• The fine is a protocol breach penalty, not a match-fixing sanction.
• The RR franchise has co-operated fully and has filed a compliance response.
• No player or coaching staff has been named in the probe.

This is the standard process for a first-time PMOA breach — investigation, factual confirmation, financial penalty, formal warning. It is not proportionate to compare this to historic fixing cases. It is the rule working exactly as designed.

What happens if a player (not a manager) breaks the rule

The penalties scale by role and intent:

Role	First breach	Repeat breach	With corruption evidence
Support staff	Fine (₹1-5 lakh)	Suspension from a game	Full ACSU investigation
Team manager	Fine + warning	Tournament ban	ACSU + BCCI disciplinary
Coach	Fine + warning	Tournament ban	ACSU + BCCI disciplinary
Player	Fine + match ban	Multi-match ban	Life ban possible

The asymmetry is deliberate — players have the most direct impact on in-game outcomes and therefore face the highest deterrent penalty.

The ACSU — who investigates

The BCCI Anti-Corruption and Security Unit is a standalone investigative body reporting to the BCCI president. ACSU officers:

• Are accredited at every IPL match venue
• Have the authority to inspect the PMOA at any time
• Can seize devices suspected of being used in breach
• Report directly to the BCCI without passing through franchise channels

They are not aligned to any team and they do not attend team meetings. That structural independence is what allows them to open a probe on a franchise manager without political pressure.

The ethics question — without the pile-on

Every IPL season, a breach of this rule triggers a wave of social-media accusations linking the breach to fixing. Most of those accusations are wrong. The rule is strict precisely because breaches can look alarming without being corrupt. Treating every protocol violation as a fixing story does three unhelpful things:

1. It erodes public trust in genuine anti-corruption enforcement.
2. It unfairly harms the reputation of people who made an administrative error.
3. It makes franchise staff less willing to self-report the small breaches that help the ACSU map trends.

A cleaner public response is to acknowledge the rule, note the breach, accept the penalty and move on. The BCCI's 2026 handling of the RR case is, by that standard, exactly the right template.

What IPL fans should take from this

Two things:

• The rule exists for a good reason. Phones in dugouts are a documented risk channel. The rule is tight because the risk it closes is specific.
• Not every breach is corruption. Most are forgotten phones, not fixing calls. Treating one like the other benefits no one.

For more explainers on IPL rules that actually shape matches, read our Impact Player rule IPL explained and IPL injury replacement rules 2026 explained features.

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Fact-checked by the CricJosh editorial desk — last verified 2026-04-18.