New Delhi, March 12 (UNI) The International Cricket Council (ICC) has confirmed that the final travelling groups from South Africa and the West Indies have safely departed from India after being stranded following the end of their campaigns at the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026.
“Within the past 24 hours, South Africa’s remaining 29 members and the West Indies’ final 16 members have departed on flights to their respective homelands, bringing to a close a complex operation that has taken place under exceptionally challenging global travel conditions,” the ICC said.
Over the course of the past few days, the ICC’s operations and logistics teams worked closely with multiple stakeholders, including government authorities, airlines, charter operators, airport officials, and the respective cricket boards, to address disruptions caused by the difficult global travel situation.
According to the ICC, their top priority during this period was to ensure the safe return of all players and support staff. This required constant coordination and adjustments as the travel situation continued to evolve.
“We thank Cricket South Africa, Cricket West Indies and their entire squads for their support throughout this process, and also the ICC staff who worked tirelessly to ensure that all players, staff and their families were able to make safe journeys home,” the ICC added.
Earlier on Wednesday, the governing body had confirmed that four South African players along with five family members had already begun their journey home on commercial flights, while the remaining 29 members of the contingent were expected to depart within the next 24 hours.
Similarly, nine members of the West Indies contingent had already returned to the Caribbean, while travel arrangements had been finalised for the remaining 16 individuals to leave India within the following 12 hours.
The delays were attributed to the ongoing crisis in the Gulf region, which has severely disrupted international aviation. The situation has led to airspace closures, missile alerts, rerouted flight paths, and the abrupt cancellation or rescheduling of both commercial and chartered flights.
“These are conditions entirely outside the ICC’s control, and they have made each travel solution significantly more complex and time-consuming than under normal circumstances,” the ICC had stated earlier while addressing the issue.
