ICC Champions Trophy: Team India will travel to Dubai without their families, BCCI confirms

Families of India's ICC Champions Trophy squad will not be accompanying them to Dubai on February 15 as the BCCI's new travel policy comes into effect.

Given that the duration of the tour is just over three weeks, the BCCI will not allow families to accompany the players. As per the new policy, families can be with players for a maximum of two weeks during a tour which is 45 days or more.

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If exceptions are to be made, the concerned player will be asked to bear the full expenses of his family's travel as BCCI won't be covering any cost, a BCCI source was quoted as telling news agency PTI.

Restrictions have also been imposed on personal staff (managers, agents, chefs), who were accompanying the team and the coaching group earlier.

Accordingly, the personal secretary of a member of the coaching staff, who was regularly seen staying at the team hotel, now stays at a different facility even though he has been seen at every venue during the England home series.

It is understood that the BCCI is trying to get a few chefs on board to meet the special dietary requirements of certain players

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The BCCI policy document 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."

The Indian team starts its Champions Trophy 2025 campaign in Dubai against Bangladesh on February 20, followed by the marquee clash against arch-rivals Pakistan on February 23 and the final preliminary face-off with New Zealand on March 2. The Rohit Sharma-led squad will play its games in Dubai while the rest of the tournament unfolds from February 19 in Pakistan across three venues.

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The families of Indian cricketers will be there with the team during the five-Test tour of England in June-July-August as the five-Test. The window for their two-week stay during the trip will be worked out later.

The new rules were drafted after India's horror tour of Australia during which the team was outplayed 1-3, leading to speculation about a lack of discipline and cohesion in the dressing room.