IPL 2026: Mahakumbh will start from March 28! BCCI implemented ‘strict’ rules, now players’ families and practice are heavily guarded

New Delhi: The bugle of the 19th season of the Indian Premier League (IPL) is about to start, but this time before the rain of fours and sixes on the field, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has created a stir with its strictness. The board has issued a new ‘decree’ for IPL 2026 starting from March 28, which has completely changed the rules regarding players’ discipline and the time they spend with their families. According to the report of Cricbuzz, these guidelines have been sent to all the team managers, violating which may lead to heavy consequences. Ban on family and friends: Now ‘no entry’ in the dressing room. BCCI has taken the toughest decision this time regarding the family and friends of the players. According to the new rules, no family member or friend will be able to go inside the dressing room and the main ground during the training session. Close relatives of the players will be allowed to stay only in the ‘designated hospitality area’. This rule has been made on the lines of international tours so that players can concentrate completely on the game. BCCI has made a historic change to maintain the quality of the practice session completely closed pitch on the match day. Now, no practice session will be organized on the day the match takes place. Teams will have to complete their entire preparation within the stipulated time before the match. This decision has been taken specifically to protect the pitch from getting damaged and to run the entire schedule without any delay. VIP culture to be controlled: Team will have to go to the ground by bus. It was often seen that star players used to reach the ground in private luxury vehicles when there were matches in their city, but now this will not happen. BCCI has given strict instructions that all players will have to use only ‘team bus’ for practice and matches. Use of private vehicles has been almost banned for security reasons and to maintain discipline. Special ‘Practice Plan’ for Wankhede and other grounds. For major grounds like Mumbai’s Wankhede Stadium, the board has made separate arrangements: Net facility: Each team will be given only two nets for practice. Range hitting: A side wicket will be provided separately for practicing hitting sixes. Safety of the pitch: Even if the practice area of the opposing team is vacant, the other team will not be able to use it. Will be able to. Besides, there will be a complete ban on doing fitness exercises on ‘open net’ and main pitch. Emphasis on discipline and fairness. This step of BCCI is being seen in the direction of making IPL more professional. It has been made clear in the rules that no team will be allowed to practice on the wicket vacated by the other team. The board wants to ensure that all 10 teams get equal opportunities to practice and that no team has an unfair advantage.