Here is why the Indian Cricket Board shelled 3.5 crore flight from Manchester to Trinidad

India will play three ODIs and five T20Is in their tour of the West Indies starting on July 22. As the Men In Blue were in England till July 17, they have taken a flight from the UK. Generally, a flight from the United Kingdom to the Caribbean Island will cost around 130,000 to 220,000 INR. However, it cost 3.5 crores to the cricket board.

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The sources in the organization said that the flight landed on the island at 11:30 PM according to the Indian Standard Time (IST). He explained that the reason for such an expensive flight is that they took a chartered plane. The reason for taking this particular flight is not COVID 19 but the difficult to book tickets for multiple people.

"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 informed the Times of India.

The source added that a commercial flight from England to the North American islands will cost around two crores and two lakhs in business class. However, he maintained that as this is a chartered flight, it cost more than three crores.

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"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.

India and the West Indies will play three ODIs and two T20Is in T&T. The 50-over games will be played at the Queen's Park Oval and the T20Is at the Brian Lara Academy.