MUMBAI: A recent report has claimed that the BCCI has spent a whopping amount of Rs 3.2 crore for Team India's chartered flight to the West Indies. The Indian team for the West Indies tour travelled to Port of Spain on a chartered flight directly from England. Normally, in a commercial flight, the expense to book tickets on regular flights for team members and coaching staff would've been around Rs 2 crore. However, by booking a chartered flight, the BCCI has spent an extra Rs 1.2 crore for the travel of the players.
'West Indies is a great opportunity for the youngsters to get exposure and play, says #TeamIndia ODI Captain @SDhawan25 ahead of #WIvIND series. pic.twitter.com/PBelvII28c
— BCCI (@BCCI) July 21, 2022
Although various sports organisations book chartered flights to ensure the safety of the players during the Covid period, sources close to BCCI said that the chartered flight for the Indian squad was booked for a different reason. The BCCI booked the chartered flight considering the fact that it's difficult to book so many tickets on a commercial flight. 16 players, coaching staff including Rahul Dravid and wives of some players have travelled to the West Indies. That is why the number of members has increased, sources said.
The Indian squad arrived in Trinidad the other day. India will play three ODI and five T20 series against the West Indies. In the absence of Rohit Sharma, Shikhar Dhawan will lead the team in ODIs.