Why BCCI imposed personal staff restrictions in guidelines for Indian players? Reports claim 'one star had....'

On Thursday, January 16, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) unveiled a significant initiative to enhance player discipline inside the organisation. The BCCI has implemented new rules for Team India players in reaction to India's heartbreaking defeat in the Test series against Australia during the Border-Gavaskar Trophy.

The ban on players' families and personal employees attending tours is one of the main limitations that has been put in place. These modifications are a part of a 10-point guideline that aims to foster team cohesion and discipline.

Players are no longer allowed to bring personal staff, including as managers, cooks, helpers, and security guards, on tours or during series, per the new regulations. The BCCI must expressly authorise any deviations to this norm. This step attempts to reduce logistical difficulties and maintain team concentration.

"Restriction on Individual Staff on Tour/Series Personal staff (e.g., personal managers, chefs, assistants and security) are to be restricted on tours or series unless explicitly approved by the BCCI. This ensures that the focus remains on team operations and minimizes logistical challenges. - this has to be done away with," BCCI said in a statement.

The implementation of new guidelines may have surprised many people, including some players. However, it is widely acknowledged that the majority of these standards should have been set long ago.

According to a recent Dainik Jagran report, the decision to apply these restrictions was made in order to promote team discipline. The ban was apparently imposed at the request of head coach Gautam Gambhir, who aired his concerns during a recent review meeting following the Australia tour.

"A BCCI source said that it is important to bring discipline into the side and coach Gautam Gambhir wants to finish the prevalent star culture," the report said before revealing the players who travel with their personal staff. 

"It was learnt that a wicket-keeper travels with his personal chef while a star batter travels with a big staff including a nanny for his kids and security personnel. There are some players who also travel with their personal staff. The BCCI source said that such practices have a negative impact on the team," the report added.

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