Rohit Sharma’s victorious Indian cricket team, fresh off their T20 World Cup win, will now land in New Delhi on Thursday morning following a prolonged delay in their departure from Barbados. The Indian contingent, consisting of around 70 individuals including cricketers, support staff, their families, and BCCI top officials, has been stranded in Bridgetown, Barbados for the last three days due to Hurricane Beryl.
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The team, which secured the World Cup by defeating South Africa in the final on June 29 (IST), faced travel disruptions when the Barbados airport was shut down for two days. Although the airport reopened on Wednesday morning (IST), the Indian team’s departure was further delayed. A special charter flight arranged by the BCCI, initially scheduled to arrive at Grantley Adams International Airport in Barbados early Wednesday, was delayed by four hours.
The revised plan involves the team taking a direct charter flight from Barbados to New Delhi, bypassing the original route that included a stopover in the USA and the UAE. The hurricane-induced delay necessitated arranging a charter flight from the USA, contributing to the extended wait.
The Indian contingent was expected to depart from Bridgetown at 6 PM local time, with an anticipated arrival in New Delhi by 5 AM on Thursday. The BCCI hinted at the team’s imminent departure on social media, posting “It’s coming home” on X at 8:30 AM on Wednesday.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi is expected to felicitate the players upon their return, though the schedule for this event remains unconfirmed.
Barbados experienced life-threatening winds and storms due to Hurricane Beryl, leading to a lockdown since Sunday evening. Barbados Prime Minister Mia Mottley reported minimal onshore damage, though coastal infrastructure suffered significant impacts.
“(We have) been working to ensure that everyone is safe in Barbados, Barbadians and all of the visitors, of course, who came for the cricket World Cup. We were very blessed that the storm did not come on land. The hurricane was 80 miles south of us, which limited the level of damage onshore. But as you can see, we’ve had coastal infrastructure and coastal assets have been badly damaged,” Prime Minister Mottley stated.
