BCCI cracks down on Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma’s families after BGT disaster; Gautam Gambhir is facing problems
The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) is preparing new guidelines for players and coaching staff after a review meeting in Mumbai with head coach Gautam Gambhir, chief selector Ajit Agarkar and captain Rohit Sharma to review the team’s performance in Australia.
The BCCI is considering reinstating the pre-2019 rules that were relaxed due to COVID-19. An official working at the BCCI office in Mumbai told Dainik Jagran that a key suggestion has been made to limit the duration that Indian players’ wives and families can be with them on tours.
BCCI will implement stricter rules for the Indian cricket team
And now the BCCI is seriously considering reintroducing the past rules for foreign tours. The Indian Cricket Board has observed that the presence of family members throughout the tour, especially during long overseas tournaments, affects the performance of the players and the same was the case during India’s recent Border-Gavaskar Trophy debacle in 2024-25. in Australia.
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Under the new guidelines, family members of Indian cricket team players and support staff will be allowed to stay for 14 days on tours lasting 45 days or more, while they can stay for 7 days on shorter tours. The BCCI is ready to accept this invitation after the families of several players were present during the 2024-25 Border-Gavaskar Trophy in Australia.
Apart from this, the BCCI is also enforcing stricter travel rules for players. In previous years, some players were allowed to use separate transport, but now all players will have to travel together on the team bus, whether they are senior or youth players.
Gautam Gambhir faces action for traveling with personal manager
Meanwhile, Indian cricket team head coach Gautam Gambhir will also have to face the consequences as BCCI officials were already unhappy with him taking his personal manager, Gaurav Arora around, and now the board is taking action against him.
For the first time in Indian cricket, a head coach traveled with his personal manager, but now the new board rules will not allow Gautam Gambhir to accompany his manager to the team hotel. Additionally, Gambhir’s manager will also not be allowed to sit in the VIP box at the stadium or travel in the team bus or support vehicle.
BCCI to implement new travel and short tenure guidelines for support staff
Additionally, if a player’s baggage exceeds 150 kg during air travel, the player will have to pay for it as the BCCI will not cover the additional cost. The board has set a maximum term of three years for support staff, with a two-year term that can be extended by one year, as many members have been with the Indian cricket team for years, leading to stagnant performance.
If this rule goes into effect, many Indian support staff will have to make way for the new one very soon. However, it is not clear if and when these rules will be implemented or if they will already be communicated to players or support after the review meeting.
