Here's the reason why it costs 3.5 crores to BCCI for the flight of Team India to West Indies
The team India has reached the West Indies for their next assignment. After completing the tour of England successfully, the Men in Blue will play three ODIs and five T20Is against the West Indies, starting on Friday, July 22. But ahead of the start of the tour, a big update is coming for all the fans.
A source has disclosed to the Times of India that the Indian team travelled on a chartered plane instead of a commercial plane to Port of Spain. The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) booked a special chartered plane for all players, team members and support staff of the team.
But it was not due to COVID-19 that all the members were booked on a special flight; the actual reason was that it was not possible to book so many tickets at once on a commercial flight because the number of members was greater.
There were a total of 16 players, then the support staff, including Rahul Dravid, and then the wives of the players. Notably, a normal fare for a commercial flight for all members will cost around Rs 2 crore. But the BCCI decided to spend almost double to make sure that everyone could travel smoothly.
Trinidad - WE ARE HERE! 👋😃#TeamIndia | #WIvIND pic.twitter.com/f855iUr9Lq
— BCCI (@BCCI) July 20, 2022
A source confirmed, "Normally, in a commercial flight, this expense would've been around Rs 2 crore. A business class ticket from Manchester to Port of Spain would be around Rs 2 lakh. A chartered flight is more expensive, but it's a logical option to take. Most top football teams have a charter now."
The tour's first match will be played on Friday. Notably, all the seniors have been given the rest of the ODI series. Shikhar Dhawan will lead the team while Ravindra Jadeja will be the vice-captain. All three ODIs will be played at Queen's Park Oval, Port of Spain, Trinidad.
Following the ODI series, both teams will play a five-match T20 series as well. Most of the senior players will be back for T20Is, but Virat Kohli, Jasprit Bumrah, and Yuzvendra Chahal are not part of the tour.