• The chartered jet that carried Team India from Manchester to Port-of-Spain cost Rs 3.5 Cr.
• The Men in Blue will play 3 ODIs and then 5 T20Is against the Windies while on a white-ball trip.
• The first of the three ODIs will take place at the Queen’s Park Oval in Port of Spain.

The cost of the Indian team’s chartered aircraft from England to the West Indies, paid for by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), was an astounding INR 3.5 crores.

The Men in Blue will play 3 ODIs and then 5 T20Is against the Windies while on a white-ball trip. After finishing the three-match ODI series against England, they immediately departed for the Caribbean.

The chartered jet that carried Team India from Manchester to Port-of-Spain cost Rs 3.5 Cr, according to the BCCI. The team’s chartered flight was scheduled for a different reason than Covid-19.

The Indian contingent consists of 16 players and members of the support staff, including head coach Rahul Dravid.

It is challenging to book so many tickets on a commercial airline. There are wives of athletes who have visited the Caribbean as well, a source told.

The decision made sense to the officials because the majority of England’s elite football clubs have their own chartered flight for domestic and international travel.

“Normally, this cost would have been close to Rs 2 crore on a commercial flight. From Manchester to Port of Spain, a business class ticket will cost approximately Rs 2 lakh.”

“Even though a chartered flight is more expensive, doing so makes sense. The majority of elite football teams now have charters,” the source continued.

The first of the three ODIs will take place at the Queen’s Park Oval in Port of Spain, Trinidad, on Friday, July 22.

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