Team India's flight to West Indies costs BCCI Rs 3.5 crore

BCCI spent around Rs 3.5 crore on booking a chartered flight for Team India to reach the West Indies - where they'll play three ODIs and five T20Is against the hosts - from England, a source has revealed to TOI. "The BCCI spent Rs 3.5 crore on the chartered flight which took Team India from Manchester on Tuesday afternoon to Port of Spain (the capital of Trinidad and Tobago) by 11.30 pm IST. The reason a chartered flight was booked for the team was not Covid-19. It's difficult to book so many tickets in a commercial flight-the Indian contingent includes 16 players and members of the support staff, including head coach Rahul Dravid. There are players' wives who have travelled to the Caribbean too," the source said on Wednesday.

"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," he added.