Tamil Nadu Premier League trophy in frame (Credit: X) A Tamil Nadu cricket player was fined Rs 1 lakh by the Anti-Corruption and Security Unit (ACSU) of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) for allegedly ‘texting his girlfriend’ from the dugout during a recent Tamil Nadu Premier League (TNPL) match. According to anti-corruption rules, using a cell phone in the dugout is against the Players and Match Officials Area (PMOA) policy. The Tamil Nadu Cricket Association was thinking of banning the player for two years, but they decided against it because the infraction was not 'grave', according to PTI. "The TNCA will not name the player as 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 has been levelled, using mobile phone in PMOA during course of a match is prohibited. Hence, it’s a protocol breach," a senior TNCA official told news agency PTI on Friday. Five Tamil Nadu batters smashed two half-centuries each in the 2025-26 Ranji Trophy, and four of them were left-handers. Phone use is carefully governed under PMOA regulations. Only in the dressing room, not in the dugout, are team managers permitted to use cell phones. When they arrive, players and the majority of support workers are required to turn off and turn over their devices. A computer at a selected station may only be used for match-related data by the designated analyst. Romi Bhinder, the manager of the Rajasthan Royals (RR), was fined the same amount for using his phone in the dugout during the 2026 Indian Premier League. The Bhinder incident exposed the clear loophole that such usage is not forbidden within the dressing room, even if the regulation prohibiting phone use in the dugout intends to reduce the likelihood of dishonest people sharing information with bookies. Nikhil is an accomplished sports journalist with extensive experience spanning several years across digital, and multimedia platforms. Currently contr... View More