Star culture' and BCCI's leaked, unofficial diktat

You know that BCCI policy document? The version floating around which reads as if it was written by Chat GPT wasn't meant to be released to the public.

- Sharda Ugra

Helpfully, BCCI's leaky parts sent it out and we have seen it in its unedited glory. What's even more unnerving than its sentence construction is that its strict tone is backed by several uncomfortable, unsavoury truths.

Let's start with the baffling item No. 5 - "Sending Bags Separately to the Centre of Excellence." Players must coordinate with team management regarding equipment and personal items being sent to the Centre of Excellence, Bengaluru. Any additional costs incurred due to separate arrangements will be the player's responsibility." What does that even mean? Read on.

A human hand carries these items of player luggage into the NCA for temp storage, because they are to form part of general travelling wardrobe of superstar cricketers. Before setting out on a few months of cricket travel, who can be bothered to pack, unpack and repack? Might as well carry the whole lot of your casual wardrobe along and dip in and out of what suits the off-field mood when required. Because, puh-lease, who repeats repeat outfits? Leave a bag or two of favourite looks at the NCA and before the next series have that brought along by some support staff minion.

There's more about cricketers' luggage. Point No. 3 'Excess Baggage Limit' stipulates the limits of travelling kit bags (two per player) and suitcases (three on long tour, two on shorter trip) between 120 and 150kg depending on length of tour. Pedantic, wot? Those living with 15kg in domestic and 25kg in international ask when did 120kg/150kg become a "limit"? Some individual stars on the BGT series had personal bags between 12 and 15, with 22 being the highest number. What's in those bags other than clothes and kit? Gold yoga mats? Protein shakes? How many? The urge to write another column on this is overwhelming.