When BCCI paid Rs. 2.5 crore to ICC for Dhawal Kulkarni

As world's richest cricket board ends up paying Rs 2.4 crore to ICC for bloated World Cup entourage, mid-day recalls the drama over Player No 16 - Mumbai's Dhawal Kulkarni

It comes as no surprise that the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has paid the International Cricket Council (ICC) over Rs 2 crore towards various charges incurred for carrying along additional members of the Indian team for around two months during the ICC World Cup in Australia-New Zealand earlier this year.


Pacer Dhawal Kulkarni prepares to bowl during a practice session ahead of India's World Cup match against United Arab Emirates in Perth, Australia on February 27, 2015. Pic/AFP

After all, the BCCI tugged along a swollen 18-member support staff for the February 14 to March 29 quadrennial tournament for which only eight were permitted by the ICC.

PTI reported yesterday that the BCCI had paid USD 3,70,111.96 (R2,43,500,36 approximately) to ICC as payment towards airfare, accommodation, per diem and catering charges incurred for additional team members during ICC CWC 2015.

Mumbai pacer Dhawal Kulkarni was also part of that extra manpower. Kulkarni stayed on with the team after the preceding ODI tri-series Down Under as cover for India's already wounded pace attack. This made Kulkarni the 16th member of the World Cup squad. ICC's regulations permit accreditation/ registration of only 15 players per team.

However, as soon the tournament began, Kulkarni's profile was changed from player to member of the team management. He thus became part of an 18-member support staff/team management brigade comprising Team Director Ravi Shastri, head coach Duncan Fletcher, assistant coach Sanjay Bangar, bowling coach Bharat Arun, team manager Arshad Ayub, yoga instructor and masseur Amitkumar Shah, physiotherapist Nitin Patel, video analyst Sandeep Anand, mental conditioning coach VP Sudarshan, masseur Ramesh Mane, fielding coach R Sridhar, assistant trainer Raghu Srinivasan, media manager Dr R N Baba, logistics manager MA Sateesh, Daniel Wilshaw, Emmanuel Grima, Doug McCauley (security personnel).

ICC's regulations
ICC's head of media and communications, Sami Ul Hasan told mid-day then that world cricket's governing body would only pick up the tab on a specific number of players and officials and that the rest of the expenditure would have to be borne by BCCI.


mid-day's report on February 28, 2015 when Kulkarni's name was enlisted as member of the Indian team management on a sheet pasted outside the Indian team’s dressing room in Perth

"The ICC will only pick up the expenses of 15 players and eight officials. While teams can have as many players and officials beyond that as they want, on match day, only 15 players will be permitted in the team's dressing room and in the dugout area. That's the ICC's rule. Unless there has been a sudden and recent change to it, which I'm not aware of, this will stand," Sami had said.

Consequently, the BCCI ended up paying a whopping R24 lakh (approximately) per extra member to the ICC. The figure though may still probably only be a blip to the world's richest cricket board's multi-million dollar treasury.

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