Question Of Privacy Was Raised By IPL Captains Before Riyan Parag Was Caught On Video Vaping In Dressing Room
IPL and BCCI officials involved in the conduct of the tournament termed Riyan Parag's vaping 'a careless act' in the age of social media and intrusive television cameras
After Riyan Parag's vaping row, in which the Rajasthan Royals captain was videographed indulging in the act in the dressing room during a match against Punjab Kings, a report by news agency PTI said that IPL and BCCI officials involved in the conduct of the tournament termed it a careless act in the age of social media and intrusive television cameras. A "well-placed IPL source" added: "A lot of players consume e-cigarettes, but they don't do it in the dressing room. It is too risky and careless to be doing that with so many cameras around. With Parag caught vaping so openly, the BCCI might be forced to act," said the source.
Another IPL source told PTI that the issue of players' privacy in the dressing room was raised at the captains' meeting in Mumbai ahead of IPL 2026. Some of the captains had objected to cameras panning to the dressing room during live broadcasts.
"It was not specifically related to the use of e-cigarettes in the dressing room. It was broadly about players' privacy. There are times when players are not fully dressed in the dressing room or may want to avoid cameras.
"They were told that it is up to the broadcaster, and not the BCCI, to decide whether cameras show feeds from the dressing room. After this incident, it may perhaps be reviewed.
"Having said that, it was careless of Parag, and it is difficult to defend something like this. An elite athlete being caught smoking like this does not set a good example for the public," said the source.
As per the Prohibition of Electronic Cigarettes Act (PECA), 2019, "no person shall, directly or indirectly, (i) produce or manufacture or import or export or transport or sell or distribute electronic cigarettes, whether as a complete product or any part thereof; and (ii) advertise electronic cigarettes or take part in any advertisement that directly or indirectly promotes the use of electronic cigarettes.
"...no person, being the owner, occupier, or having control or use of any place, shall knowingly permit it to be used for storage of any stock of electronic cigarettes."
According to Johns Hopkins Medicine, vaping is injurious to health, even though it may not be as harmful as smoking conventional cigarettes.
"Nicotine is the primary agent in regular cigarettes and e-cigarettes, and it is highly addictive. It causes you to crave nicotine and suffer withdrawal symptoms if you ignore the craving.
"Nicotine is a toxic substance. It raises your blood pressure and spikes your adrenaline, which increases your heart rate and the likelihood of having a heart attack," states an expert column on the Johns Hopkins Medicine website
Rajasthan Royals