Indian team leaves to New Delhi from Barbados in chartered flight; open bus parade in Mumbai likely

The Indian cricket team finally left Bridgetwon, Barbados, on Wednesday (Tuesday evening local time) by a special chartered flight, operated by Air India.

The Indian team, the cricketers’ families, support staff and some media personnel boarded the flight from Bridgetown and will land in New Delhi on Thursday (local time).

The Indian team was stranded in Barbados due inclement weather conditions caused by hurricane Beryl. Airports were shut and no transportation was available for the team to get out of the island.

Several members of the broadcast team, the South African cricket team and other logistics personnel changed their plans to board flights back to their respective bases soon after the World Cup Final ended. However, the Indian team chose to unwind after a hectic schedule and were caught in the inclement weather.

The Indian team, led by skipper Rohit Sharma, will meet the Prime Minister Narendra Modi after landing in New Delhi. The team will then fly to Mumbai and as per reports, there will be an open bus parade on Marine Drive.

The Indian team had a similar open bus parade after winning the inaugural edition of the ICC T20 World Cup in 2007.

Meanwhile, the Wankhede Stadium, home of the Board of Control of Cricket in India (BCCI), is also being readied for a felicitation ceremony of the Indian team.

Five Indian players – Rinku Singh, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Shivam Dube, Khaleel Ahmed and Sanju Samson – who were originally in the Indian squad for the Zimbabwe series were also stranded and will now reach New Delhi along with the entire team.

Samson, Dube and Jaiswal will next travel to Harare after the felicitation ceremony. The new-look Indian squad, led by Shubman Gill, reached Harare on Wednesday, three days ahead of the five-match T20 internationals. All matches will be played at the Harare Sports Club in Harare.