The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has stood firm on a contentious policy decision: Indian players will not be allowed to stay with their families during the ongoing T20 World Cup.
The ruling, first introduced after India’s 1–3 Border-Gavaskar Trophy defeat to Australia in the 2024–25 season, remains firmly in place despite requests from the current team management.
According to The Indian Express, the management sought clarity on whether players’ wives or fiancées could travel and stay with the squad, and were flatly turned down.
Under the official policy, families are permitted to stay with players for a maximum of 14 days, and only if an overseas tour lasts longer than 45 days. The T20 World Cup does not meet that threshold.
“The
Indian team management had approached the BCCI to ask whether wives and fiancées can travel with the team and whether they can also stay with them. The board has made it clear that families won’t be staying with the players. They can make separate arrangements, though, if they want to,” a BCCI source reportedly confirmed.
World Cup underway, but rules unchanged
The T20 World Cup began on February 7, with India opening their campaign with a win over the USA at the Wankhede Stadium, where captain Suryakumar Yadav led from the front with the bat.
India will play three group-stage matches on home soil before travelling to Colombo for their marquee clash against Pakistan on February 15.
Families were also barred during the bilateral series leading into the tournament: a sign that the BCCI was unlikely to soften its stance.
Logistically, the team will travel throughout the tournament via private charter flights. While players have personal chefs with them, those chefs are stationed at nearby hotels and send meals to the team rather than staying on-site.
BGT loss’s impact persists
The policy marks a sharp reversal from post-COVID norms, when families were allowed to stay for entire overseas tours.
That flexibility came under scrutiny after the Australia series, when support staff reportedly flagged concerns that some players skipped internal meetings and planning sessions to spend time with partners or children.
In response, the BCCI tightened regulations in January 2025 in a move that also coincided with stricter enforcement of domestic cricket participation for centrally contracted players.
