The Indian ODI squad has reached the West Indies from England as they flew on a chartered flight from Manchester to Trinidad for the upcoming three-match ODI series which will be followed by five T20I matches as well.

Now it has been revealed that the chartered flight from the UK to the Caribbean cost BCCI Rs 3.5 crore, a source revealed to the Times of India.

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"The BCCI spent Rs 3.5 crore on the chartered flight which took Team India from Manchester on Tuesday afternoon to Port of Spain (the capital of Trinidad and Tobago) by 11.30 pm IST. The reason a chartered flight was booked for the team was not Covid-19.

It's difficult to book so many tickets in a commercial flight-the Indian contingent includes 16 players and members of the support staff, including head coach Rahul Dravid. There are players' wives who have travelled to the Caribbean too," the source said on Wednesday.

"Normally, in a commercial flight, this expense would've been around Rs 2 crore. A business class ticket from Manchester to Port of Spain would be around Rs 2 lakh. A chartered flight is more expensive, but it's a logical option to take. Most top football teams have a charter now," he added.

(Times of India inputs)