Champions Trophy 2025: Indian cricket players to travel without families

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) introduced a new travel policy that will come into effect for the first time during the upcoming ICC Champions Trophy 2025 in Pakistan and the UAE.

Under the new guidelines, Indian cricket players will not be allowed to have their families accompany them for the duration of the tournament, which begins on February 15.

The Indian team, led by Rohit Sharma, will kick off their campaign in Dubai on February 20 with a match against Bangladesh.

This will be followed by a highly anticipated clash against arch-rivals Pakistan on February 23 and a final group-stage encounter with New Zealand on March 2.

While the Indian squad will play their matches in Dubai, the rest of the tournament will take place across three venues in Pakistan from February 19.

The BCCI's decision stems from the relatively short duration of the tour, which lasts just over three weeks, including the final on March 9.

Under the new policy, families are permitted to travel with players only during tours lasting 45 days or more, and only for a maximum of two weeks.

A senior BCCI official confirmed to PTI, on the condition of anonymity, that no players would be accompanied by their wives or partners for this tour.

"If anything changes then it is different but as of now, the players are unlikely to be accompanied by their wives or partners for this tour. One of the senior players had enquired about it and he was told that the policy decision will be followed," a senior BCCI source told PTI on conditions of anonymity.

"Since the tour is of less than one month, families won't be accompanying the players. But if exceptions are made, I think that individual will have to bear the full expenses as BCCI won't be covering any cost," he added.

The BCCI's policy document clearly states: "Players absent from India for more than 45 days during overseas tours can be joined by their partners and children (under 18) for one visit per series (format wise) of up to a two-week period.

"Any deviation from this policy must be pre-approved by the coach, captain and GM Operations. Additional expenses outside the visitors' period will not be covered by the BCCI."

Notably, the BCCI is expected to make an exception for the upcoming five-Test series in England during the months of June, July, and August.

Families will be allowed to join the team during this longer tour, with the exact timing of their two-week stay to be arranged later.

The new travel policy was implemented after India's disappointing tour of Australia, where the team faced a 1-3 loss, leading to speculation about a lack of discipline and team cohesion.

Since then, several rules have been enforced to improve the team's discipline, including restrictions on personal staff such as managers, agents, and chefs, who were previously accompanying the players and coaching staff.

The BCCI has also introduced guidelines for team travel, ensuring that players now travel together for all series. The policy also mandates that players participate in domestic cricket whenever possible during breaks from international duties.

In line with the new regulations, the personal secretary of a coaching staff member, who was once accommodated at the team hotel, now stays at a separate facility, though he is still present at every venue during home series in England.