Follow UsThe Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) is not ready to dilute the new Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) for senior Indian men’s tours. The SOP will first come into effect at the ICC Champions Trophy 2025, for which the team will travel to the UAE.
According to a report by Cricbuzz, the SOPs, which were word of mouth earlier and were almost sarcastically negotiated at a press conference by India ODI and Test captain Rohit Sharma, have now been handed in a 90-page-long document to all the players ahead of the commencement of the 50-over premier tournament.
“There is no going back on this, and the players have been made aware that the BCCI is very serious about the SOPs,” the website quoted a source close to the Indian team.
The need for the SOPs was felt after India were hammered 1-3 in Australia and failed to qualify for the World Test Championship (WTC) for the first time in three editions.
Here are the major things that Indian team members will be restricted from doing according to the new SOP:
> Personal staff, which includes players’ managers, chefs, assistants and security, will be restricted.
> Families of players who are out of India for more than 45 days on a tour can visit him once for a maximum of 15 days. Thus, spouses will > not be seen around the players in the Champions Trophy as it is not 45 days long.
> Players must travel by team bus and no other means of transport during a series.
> Players are not permitted to engage in personal shoots or endorsements during an ongoing series or tour.
India will open their campaign in the Champions Trophy on February 20 against Bangladesh.