Rajasthan Royals (RR) have fallen into serious trouble, but it has nothing to do with their on-field performance in the ongoing IPL 2026. Rajasthan Royals have been in great form this season, having won all four of their games so far, and they top the points table with a +2.055 NRR.
In their previous IPL 2026 game, the Royals defeated Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) by six wickets in Guwahati on April 10. However, a small mistake by the RR support staff has overshadowed their impressive performance against the defending champions.
Rajasthan Royals’ IPL 2026 dominance hit by dugout controversy
In fact, Rajasthan Royals team manager Romi Bhinder was seen using his mobile phone while sitting in the dugout and young sensation Vaibhav Suryavanshi was also sitting right next to him. The camera captured it and the clip sparked massive debate on social media.
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It is being said that Romi Bhinder was using mobile phone and Vaibhav was looking at his phone even during the RR vs RCB match in Guwahati. With this, RR team manager broke an important rule of IPL. BCCI has now confirmed that this is a breach of protocol.
According to IPL rules, no one is allowed to use mobile phones in the dugout during the match. Phones are only allowed inside the dressing room, not in the players and match officials’ area.
BCCI confirms that Romi Bhinder has violated IPL protocol
“Yes, Bhinder has indeed violated the players’ and match officials’ area (PMOA) protocols as there is a ban on cell phones in the dugout during the match,” a BCCI official was quoted as saying by PTI.
The relevant section of the PMOA Protocol 2026 states, “The team manager may use the phone in the dressing room but not in the dugout.” Bhinder has been associated with the Royals since the beginning of the IPL, so he should be fully aware of the anti-corruption protocols, which will make this matter serious.
The BCCI official said the IPL Governing Council will take a decision after reviewing Bhinder’s actions in Guwahati. “It may be unintentional, but some action should be taken because it is a violation. 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 decision,” the senior official said.
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BCCI ACU will decide the fate of Romi Bhinder
Meanwhile, the dugout is treated like a very strict and protected area during IPL games. No one is allowed to break the rules there because it can affect the fairness of the game. That is why this incident has attracted so much attention. Even former IPL chairman Lalit Modi reacted and raised questions as to how this mistake happened and where was the security team at that time.
Now BCCI’s anti-corruption unit will look into everything and find out what exactly went wrong. After this they will prepare 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 may face a fine or a temporary ban. If the authorities decide to ban this to avoid such cases in future, Bhinder will not be allowed to sit in the dugout or go inside the dressing room during some of the IPL 2025 games.
