West Indies and South Africa players are still stranded in Kolkata after travel arrangements made for their return journey didnโt materialise on Tuesday.ย A chartered flight that was meant to take both teams to Johannesburg did not operate as planned, leaving the players frustrated. With that, the organisers are once again forced to find alternative travel plans for the players and support staff to return as soon as possible, as many of them will once again have to be back in India for the IPL 2026.
Following the situation, the ICC planned individual flights for the players, rather than booking for the entire team. ICC chairman Jay Shah has reportedly spoken to the players and assured them a safe journey. On the other hand, West Indies coach Daren Sammy has already left India on Monday night for the Caribbean.
โAll the West Indies and South African players have been booked on individual commercial airline flights. Obviously, all can’t be booked on same airlines but ICC has taken care of individual bookings. ICC chairman Jay Shah has personally spoken and assured players of a safe journey back home,” an ICC source privy to the development told PTI on conditions of anonymity.
โIt must be mentioned that Darren Sammy is already on his way home, having left on Monday night,โ the source also informed.
West Asia war forced the players to remain stranded
Notably, the International travel routes across parts of West Asia have recently been affected by airspace restrictions after American and Israeli strikes on Iran. Several airlines have avoided flying through the Gulf region since then. The ICCโs airline partner, Emirates, has also been unable to operate flights due to the closure of Dubai airspace, which has complicated travel plans for passengers heading towards the Caribbean and Africa.
Team members had earlier been told that the charter service would take them out of Kolkata on Tuesday. A later message informed them that the flight would not go ahead.
“As per a latest development on Tuesday afternoon, the ‘chartered flight was cancelled and no further information regarding this is receivedโ. Due to logistical issues, the chartered flight may have been cancelled at the last minute, so now, maximum players are making their own arrangements.โ
The West Indies squad has been in Kolkata since March 1 after losing their Super Eight match to India at Eden Gardens. South Africa remained in the city after their semifinal defeat to New Zealand on March 4. Around 12 West Indies players and 10 members of their support staff are still in India. The South African group includes 12 players and two support staff members.
Also Read: