Stuck in Barbados due to hurricane, India’s T20 World Cup-winning squad expected to land in Delhi on Wednesday: Reports
The Indian team, which has been stranded in Barbados, following the conclusion of the T20 World Cup, due to a hurricane, is expected to leave for home on Tuesday, June 2, and land in Delhi on Wednesday. The Men in Blue, its support staff, some BCCI members, and the players' families have been stuck in Barbados due to Hurricane Beryl, which hit the island on Sunday evening.
India beat South Africa by seven runs in the 2024 T20 World Cup final in Barbados on Saturday, June 29. Batting first, the Men in Blue put up 176-7 on the board and then held the Proteas to 169-8. Team India's triumph was their first in an ICC event since lifting the Champions Trophy in 2013.
As per a report in ESPNcricinfo, the Indian contingent is set to fly home via a charter flight on Tuesday evening. The Indian team is expected to leave Bridgetown at 6 PM local time and land in Delhi on Wednesday at 7.45 PM IST, the report added, quoting sources. The players are expected to meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi for a felicitation ceremony after arriving in Delhi.
Earlier, Barbados Prime Minister Mia Mottley told news agency PTI that she expected the airport to become operational in the 'next six to 12 hours'.
"I don't want to speak in advance of it, but I have literally been in touch with the airport personnel and they're doing their last checks now and we want to resume normal operations as a matter of urgency," Mottley said.
"There are a number of people who were due to leave last night late or today or tomorrow morning. And we want to make sure that we can facilitate those persons, so I would anticipate that within the next six to 12 hours the airport will be open," the Barbados PM went on to add.
Meanwhile, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Shivam Dube, and Sanju Samson were originally scheduled to travel to Zimbabwe for a five-match T20I series. However, following the delay in India's departure from Barbados, the trio will now travel to India with the rest of the World Cup-winning members and then leave for Harare.
Team India became the first team to remain unbeaten in a T20 World Cup
During their victorious 2024 T20 World Cup campaign, Team India became the first team to win the ICC event while remaining unbeaten. The Men in Blue won three of their four group matches, while one game was abandoned.
In the Super 8 round, they got the better of Afghanistan, Bangladesh, and Australia. Team India then beat England by 68 runs in the semifinal in Guyana before defeating South Africa by seven runs in a close final.