EXCLUSIVE | Arun Dhumal dismisses honey trap fears, says IPL 2026 ‘clean tournament’

Arun Dhumal. (BCCI/IPL photo) TimesofIndia.com in Mullanpur: BCCI secretary Devajit Saikia had created an uproar on social media earlier this month when he used the term “honey trap” during a media interaction. Moments after his comments, speculations spread and fans started harassing the cricketers’ partners on social media platforms.Saikia has urged franchises to remain vigilant throughout the IPL season and the BCCI has issued a directive flagging concerns about a breach of protocol. “The BCCI has come to the knowledge that certain incidents of misconduct and breach of protocol involving players, support staff and team officials have occurred during the current IPL season. These incidents, if not addressed, have the potential to cause significant damage to the reputation of the tournament, the respective franchises and BCCI as a governing body. They may further expose a serious nature to legal and franchise risks.” CEOs of 10 franchises.However, IPL Board Chairman Arun Dhumal clarified that there was no issue related to “honey catching” in this edition of IPL.“As far as I know, there was no problem as such with honey or anything like that. This is a very clean tournament,” Dhumal told TimesofIndia.com.“Yes, there were some problems. For example, the Riyan Parag (vaping) incident, which we could have avoided. Other than that, I don’t think there was any such incident,” he added.

… incident at Riyan Parag which we could have avoided. Besides, I don’t think there was any such incident

IPL Board Chairman Arun Dhumal

When asked about BCCI secretary Saikia’s specific comment on the honey catch, the IPL chairman said, “I am not even privy to any such information. He would be the best person to comment on it. But nothing like that happened in this edition as far as my understanding and knowledge is concerned. I did not hear his comment so I would not comment on that.”Dhumal heaped praise on the IPL 2026 season, calling it “phenomenal”.“This year has been a phenomenal season. Like all previous editions, we didn’t know which team would qualify fourth until the last day of the league stage. That’s the excitement around the IPL every season. The quality of matches we’ve had so far has been phenomenal,” he said.