According to reports, the Board of Control for Cricket in India’s (BCCI) Anti-Corruption Unit (ACU) will investigate a social media post by Punjab Kings all-rounder Deepak Hooda to see if it violates the guidelines. The Baroda cricketer had shared a picture of himself on his official Instagram handle ahead of the match between Punjab Kings and Rajasthan Royals.
According to news agency ANI, an ACU official said that the post is probably in violation of the BCCI guidelines, which clearly states that there shall not be any talk regarding the composition of a team before the match.
IPL 2021: Delhi Capitals vs Sunrisers Hyderabad Live Updates
“ACU will look into this post. Our restrictions are that there shall not be any talk about the composition of the team,” the official said.
When asked if there has been any discussion on how cricketers should react to social media messages, the ACU official said: “There is a guideline on the dos and don’ts.”
The 26-year-old had around 2pm shared a picture of him putting on PBKS helmet, and wrote,"Here we go @punjabkingsipl #pbksvsrr #ipl2021 #saddapunjab."
View this post on Instagram
On the field, Deepak Hooda a night to forget. He conceded 37 runs in the two overs he bowled against Rajasthan Royals and failed to make a mark with the bat as well, as he bagged a two-ball duck.
However, despite dropping four catches- three of KL Rahul in the Powerplay alone - Rajasthan Royals pipped Punjab Kings in a last-over thriller at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium on Tuesday. Chasing 186, PBKS needed just four runs to win in the final over but Kartik Tyagi gave away just one run and picked up two wickets to successfully defend what at one stage looked indefensible.
IPL POINTS TABLE | PURPLE CAP | ORANGE CAP | IPL SCHEDULE |IPL FULL COVERAGE
Last year, ahead of IPL 2020, former ACU chief Ajit Singh had said that social media interactions were closely monitored by BCCI, ACU. “See, while the number of venues is less, the hurdles of physical movement due to the coronavirus pandemic also means that approaches if any will be made through social media. So, we are going to be closely monitoring the same and ensuring that there is nothing that escapes the team’s eyes,” he had said last year.
The former chief also said that the players needed to be careful to ensure there was no letup from their side. “Yes, it is handled by their teams in some cases. But at the end of the day, it is their accounts. So, the players must have a team around them which is aware of these things and no sooner they see anything suspicious, they should report the same to us. It has to be a joint effort."
Get all the IPL news and Cricket Score here