Shah Rukh can cheer from dugout

A day after Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan was barred entry to his team's dressing room, the Indian Premier League authorities on Monday issued fresh guidelines which has cleared the deck for the presence of a franchise owner in the team dug-out for the Twenty20 matches.

IPL Chairman and Commissioner Lalit Modi announced that the organisers would issue an all-area accreditation badge to one member of each of the eight team franchisees, following the ejection of Shah Rukh from the dug-out by the Anti Corruption and Security Unit (ACSU) officials of the International Cricket Council.

While defending the decision of the ACSU officials to ask the film star to vacate the dug-out during the IPL tie against Chennai Super Kings at the Eden Gardens, Modi said suitable measures would be taken to avoid repeatation of this kind of incidents.

"There have been reports in the media about denial of a team owner access to the dug out and dressing room. The IPL is conducted as per the rules and regulations of the ICC whose ACSU officials were just doing the job entrusted," Modi said.

"They go strictly by the colour code. A red badge issued by the ACSU, on approval of the team manager, will help the person holding it access to all areas," he said. ( Watch )

"This is what we intend to do by giving each of the team owners one such badge each. They do have the right to sit with the players in the dug outs and dressing rooms," Modi said.

Shah Rukh was visibly dejected after being denied an entry into the dressing room and the actor said, "I like to hang around with the boys. I am very energetic. I am very disappointed that the ICC has stopped me," he said.

"I don't know the ICC rules. I'll tell only one thing. Nobody dare stop me from coming to Kolkata. I'll be here whenever my team plays a match at the Eden," Khan said.

Knight Riders CEO Joy Bhattacharya said ICC rules were meant to stop bookies entering the dressing room but it did not apply in a domestic tournament like IPL.

"When these rules were framed, the concept of franchisee owners' domestic tournament didn't even come, the law was not framed to stop people like Shah Rukh Khan, Preity Zinta, Mukesh Ambani or Vijay Mallya from walking into the dressing room," he said.

"According to even ICC regulations, there is a system of visitor's pass, the manager and team management sign it. The person can be allowed in the dressing room as long as it is signed by. So there is no way to stop Shah Rukh from entering the dressing room," Bhattacharya added.

BCCI secretary Niranjan Shah, meanwhile, asserted that Shah Rukh has to go by ICC rules, even though he felt nothing could really stop the actor from entering the dressing room.

"He should take permission from IPL's anti-corruption officer before entering into the dressing room," Shah said.

Times Of India