Former Indian captain Virat Kohli participated in Royal Challengers Bengaluru’s Innovation Summit, where he emphasized the significance of family during overseas tours. His remarks contributed to the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) relaxing an important rule soon thereafter.
Following India's loss in the 2025 Border-Gavaskar Trophy, where they were defeated 3-1 in Australia, the BCCI introduced a new set of regulations for players on overseas tours. One of these rules requires players to obtain special permission from the board if their families wish to stay for more than 10 days during an overseas tour.
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This rule was implemented during the 2025 Champions Trophy in Dubai, where players such as Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, and Ravindra Jadeja brought their families. However, instead of staying with them, the players opted to stay in a hotel, with the expenses covered by themselves rather than the BCCI.
Speaking at the Royal Challengers Bengaluru innovation summit, Kohli highlighted the mental challenges players face during long tours. "I don't want to go to my room and just sit alone and sulk. I want to be able to be normal. Then you can treat your game as something that is a responsibility," he stated.
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Former captain Kapil Dev also supports the idea of families traveling together during long overseas tours, calling it a balanced approach to addressing the issue raised by the board. "Well, I don't know, that's individual. I think it's the cricket board's call," he said during the 'Kapil Dev Grant Thornton Invitational' event. "My view is, yes, you need family. But you also need a team all the time."
