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Amidst several controversies that have surrounded the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 season on various issues including the inclusion of social media and content creators in teams, the chairman of IPL Arun Dhumal has commented that a lot of noise gets generated around the game with the increase in the number of social media platforms and a new group of individuals have entered the domain.

In his interview with India Today, Dhumal has shared that not everything that happens on the internet or on social media is true, and it needs to be taken lightly. This comes in light of the recent controversy surrounding the franchise Punjab Kings, when the team requested the media as well as social media users to refrain from spreading unverified information during the team's poor run in IPL 2026.

The BCCI chairman said that the body always strives to preserve the dignity of the tournament and always makes efforts as and when needed.

Dhumal said:

"Most of the things that happen on social media, one cannot always be sure about the authenticity or how true they are. But whatever we need to do in terms of keeping the integrity of the game intact, we do our level best. There is much more that comes into the media than what actually is, so you have to take it with a pinch of salt."

The BCCI has released new directives for IPL franchises during the league's course following recent events, but Dhumal clarified that these were not new or knee-jerk reactions but established principles which get reiterated from time to time.

He was certain that all IPL franchises were fully aware of their roles and the need to maintain the sanctity of the tournament.

Dhumal said:

"That is a regular directive that has been there for sure, but given those small scenes that took place, we thought we can reinforce those. I'm very confident that franchises know their responsibilities very clearly and they adhere to that because it is not that the BCCI would only get affected if the tournament gets affected, it would affect everyone."

He added:

"All of them are very responsible and they know that for sure. So it's always a collective effort of BCCI and all the franchises wherein we make sure that the integrity of the game is respected and the quality of games is maintained."

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Dhumal also offered his personal views on social media. He stated that he's not fond of the extreme usage of these sites and believes people eventually realize that real-life relations are of more value than on-line ones.

"Social media, I would say, is the most anti-social thing," he said with a smile.

He added:

"So I'm personally not in favour of social media. I do believe there has to be a lot of socialisation as players and as individuals, but unfortunately, I deem it as the most anti-social thing."

However, Dhumal reiterated that he's not for putting stricter regulations on player usage of social media. According to him, eventually all players will learn to balance technology with human values.

He further added:

"No (on regulation of social media use), people (players) would eventually understand. People get the fancy of this thing for some time, but eventually you understand that it is the real human values and human relationships that matter. And more in terms of the kind of technological intervention that we are having, the core human values would be the most premium."