PMOA Article 4.1.1 Phone-in-Dugout Rule — BCCI Clarification After Bhinder Case

PMOA Article 4.1.1 is one of the IPL's clearest anti-corruption rules: phones permitted in the dressing room (a controlled, observable space) but prohibited in the dugout (with line-of-sight to the field of play). The Bhinder case in April 2026 — a Rajasthan Royals team manager using a phone in the dugout — produced a 1 lakh fine and a formal warning after the BCCI accepted his medical-condition explanation.

The clarification that followed addressed two concerns. First, the rule applies uniformly to all franchise support staff regardless of seniority or service tenure. Second, all franchises must provide a documented anti-corruption briefing for support staff at the start of each season, including specific reference to PMOA Article 4.1.1.

The clarification was not a rule change. It was a reinforcement of how the existing rule must be applied. Critics had argued for years that the rule's enforcement depended too heavily on broadcast cameras catching breaches. The clarification stops short of mandating physical anti-corruption presence in dugouts but tightens the procedural framework that surrounds the rule.