India's exit costs BCCI members a free World Cup jaunt

A tantalising offer for Indian cricket board members from its 30 affiliated associations - of a free trip to the West Indies, worth Rs.12 million (nearly $280,000), to watch the ongoing World Cup and stay on cruise ships - has fallen through, thanks to India's quick exit from the tournament.

The officials were to be taken to the West Indies on a special chartered flight from New Delhi to watch the World Cup semi-finals and the final in the exotic Caribbean islands.

"The offer has now been cancelled following the team's first-round exit from the World Cup," Niranjan Shah, secretary of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), told IANS here Thursday.

"Luckily, we had not bought the tickets. But now no one is going," he said at the BCCI headquarters here.

The BCCI was to bear the entire cost, at the rate of Rs.400,000 per unit for the 30 members. Never before has BCCI offered free trips during a World Cup, said a veteran BCCI official.

India's unexpected crashing out of the World Cup, losing two of the three first-round matches including one to fledgling Bangladesh, has cost the BCCI officials the free jaunt.

"I have been associated with the board for more than 25 years and I don't remember BCCI ever coming out with a scheme like this. It was certainly not there during the 1999 World Cup in England and the 2003 tournament in South Africa," a state association official told IANS.

This offer followed some surprise "gifts" that the BCCI had sent to its affiliated units, a move that had set tongues in the rival group wagging.

Experts were also asking if this was part of reconciliatory steps by the Sharad Pawar-led BCCI set-up with the Jagmohan Dalmiya-headed rival group.

"The BCCI had sent to all its affiliated units invitations for a 12-day free trip to the West Indies," a top official of a BCCI-affiliated association who got the invite disclosed.

"The programme included stay on cruise ships, hospitality and seats for the two semi-finals and the final in Bridgetown, Barbados, on April 28," said the official associated with the Dalmiya group.

Now the officials will not be able to avail of the free trip.

Pawar lost a bitter, keenly contested battle to the Dalmiya-backed Ranbir Singh Mahendra group for BCCI president's post in 2004 on the casting vote of Dalmiya. But Pawar handed a comprehensive defeat to Mahendra in the 2005 annual election.

The official, a well-known Dalmiya supporter, said he had been surprised to receive a hefty gift packet. The packets, along with a formal letter listing the contents in the packet, were sent to all 30 BCCI associations.

The most surprising part of the packet, containing six items, were three copies of a book, "A Social History of Indian Cricket: 22 Yards to Freedom", which lauds Dalmiya's role in Indian cricket.

"I was extremely surprised to receive the book. Ironically, they are giving Dalmiya some free publicity," he said.

Dalmiya commissioned this book as part of the board's platinum jubilee a few years ago.

The other items in the gift packet included bats bearing signatures of India's World Cup members, a group photograph of the Indian team that went for the World Cup, a silver salver, two Mont Blanc pens and replicas of the 1996 Cup plate.

(IANS)

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