Tamil Nadu cricketer fined for texting girlfriend during match

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) Anti-Corruption and Security Unit (ACSU) has fined a young Tamil Nadu cricketer Rs100,000 for violating the Players and Match Officials Area (PMOA) protocol during a recent Tamil Nadu Premier League (TNPL) match.

According to PTI, the player was caught using a mobile phone in the dugout to text his girlfriend during the match. While no corruption charge has been levelled against him, mobile phone use in the PMOA during a game is prohibited under BCCI regulations.

“The TNCA will not name the player as the investigation is ongoing. All I can confirm is he is a left-hander who scored two fifties for Tamil Nadu in last year’s Ranji Trophy. He was found texting his girlfriend during the course of a match. While no corruption charges have been levelled, using a mobile phone in the PMOA during the course of a match is prohibited. Hence, it is a protocol breach,” a senior Tamil Nadu Cricket Association (TNCA) official told PTI.

Two-year ban

The TNCA had reportedly considered imposing a two-year ban on the 26-year-old, but eventually decided against the harsher punishment after determining that the offence was not grave in nature. The player was instead fined Rs100,000.

The PMOA protocol strictly regulates mobile phone use during matches. Team managers are permitted to use phones only inside the dressing room and not in the dugout, while players and most support staff are required to switch off and hand over their devices upon arrival. Only the designated analyst is permitted to use a computer at a specified station for match-related data.