IPL clean-up sweeps away cheerleaders, night parties

Indian cricket board's interim president Jagmohan Dalmiya Monday said there would be no late-night parties and cheerleaders in the next edition of Indian Premier League as part of "Operation Clean-up" to restore the reputation of the IPL and the game.

Dalmiya announced the slew of steps here Monday to clean up IPL which was rocked by spot fixing controversy in IPL-6 that concluded last month.

He said there will be restriction on movement near the teams' dug-out and dressing room and the diktat would also include the team owners. This came after the suspension of Chennai Super Kings chief Gurunath Meiyappan and Rajasthan Royals co-owner Raj Kundra in the IPL spot fixing scandal.

There will be stricter code of conduct for the players, officials and support staff. The players are barred from accepting gifts and they will have to give their phone numbers to the BCCI before the start of the tournament.

Dalmiya went on to say that anti-corruption officials at the ground and team hotel "will have to be adequate". Players will not be allowed to use phones at the ground besides adhere to the ban on use of earplugs.

Talking about the conflict of interest, Dalmiya said the national selectors "should not be part of an IPL team".

The players would now be now required to disclose their financial interest with other organisations to the board before the start of IPL. The teams on their part will need to share their players' payment with the BCCI.

A meeting of team captains will be held before IPL begins. Besides, a programme would be held to apprise players of the consequences of corruption in the game.

"Apart from these, there are many other points I need to discuss with players and team owners. The programme can be called as operation clean-up. If we are able to clean up cricket, it will be a great service to the game," said Dalmiya.

He was also asked about banning IPL as it is often blamed for harming Indian cricket.

"I don't agree with the notion that banning IPL is a solution for all the problems. We are committed to clean the image of the game," Dalmiya said.