Rajasthan Royals (RR) have landed in serious trouble, but it has nothing to do with their on-field performance in the ongoing IPL 2026. The Rajasthan Royals are in red-hot form this season, having won all of their four games so far, and they are leading the points table with a massive +2.055 NRR.
In their previous IPL 2026 game, the Royals crushed the Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) by six wickets in Guwahati on April 10. However, a small error from the RR support staff has overshadowed their dominant performance against the defending champions.
Rajasthan Royals’ IPL 2026 dominance hit by dugout controversy
Actually, the Rajasthan Royals’ team manager, Romi Bhinder, was seen using a mobile phone while sitting in the dugout, and even young sensation Vaibhav Sooryavanshi was sitting just right to him. The cameras caught it, and the clip sparked massive debate on social media.
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It is being said that Romi Bhinder was using the mobile phone, and Vaibhav was even peeking at his phone during the RR vs RCB match in Guwahati. With this, the RR team manager broke an important IPL rule. The BCCI has now confirmed that it is a breach of the protocol.
According to the IPL rules, no one is allowed to use a mobile phone in the dugout during a match. Phones are only allowed inside the dressing room, not in the players’ and match officials’ area.
BCCI confirms Romi Bhinder breached IPL Protocol
A BCCI official was quoted as saying by PTI, “Yes, Bhinder has indeed breached the protocol of the Players and Match Officials Area (PMOA), as cell phones are banned in the dugout during a match.
The clause regarding PMOA protocol 2026 states, “The Team Manager may use a phone in the dressing room but NOT in the dugout.” Bhinder has been associated with the Royals since IPL’s inception, so he must be fully aware of the anti-corruption protocols, making the issue serious.
The BCCI official said that the IPL Governing Council will take the call after the review on Bhinder’s actions in Guwahati. The senior official added, “It could be inadvertent, but there has to be some action since it amounts to a breach. Whether it will be a warning or a match ban will depend on the match referee and the ACU report. Based on that, the IPL GC can take a call.”
BCCI ACU to decide Romi Bhinder’s fate
Meanwhile, the dugout during the IPL games is treated like a very strict and protected area. No one is allowed to break the rules there because it can affect the fairness of the game. That is why this incident has caught so much attention. Even the former IPL chairman Lalit Modi also reacted and questioned how this mistake even happened and where the security team was at that time.
Now, the BCCI’s Anti-Corruption Unit will look into everything and find out what exactly went wrong. After that, they will make a report and give it to the Anti-Corruption Unit head. Based on that report, action will be taken against Romi Bhinder by the IPL GC.
It seems that the RR team manager could face a fine or even a temporary ban. If the officials decide to ban it to avoid such cases in the future, Bhinder will not be allowed to sit in the dugout or go inside the dressing room during some of the IPL 2025 games.
