South Africa, West Indies to fly home on March 10:ICC arranges chartered flight; set to depart at 2:30 pm on Tuesday

After being stranded in India for several days, the T20 World Cup 2026 squads of the West Indies and South Africa are finally set to leave the country on Tuesday. Both teams remained stuck due to international airspace restrictions caused by the ongoing conflict in the Middle East. To solve the issue, a shared charter flight has been arranged by the ICC to take the players and support staff safely out of India. The special flight will depart at 2:30 pm on Tuesday and will travel to Johannesburg, South Africa. From there, the West Indies team will continue their journey to Antigua, while the South African players will return home. The travel arrangements were made after both cricket boards worked together to ensure the safe return of their squads following the conclusion of the T20 World Cup. Both teams had been unable to leave India because several airspaces in West Asia were closed after American and Israeli strikes on Iran, which disrupted international flight routes. Players and supporting staff on board to travel Johannesubrg Antigua According to available information, a total of 12 West Indies players and 10 members of the support staff are currently still in India. From the South African side, 12 players and two support staff members remain in the country and will also travel on the same charter flight. However, not all members of the two teams are waiting for this flight. West Indies head coach Darren Sammy is expected to leave earlier through Singapore, while three other West Indies players will travel through a different route. On the South African side, three players – Keshav Maharaj, George Linde and Jason Smith have already departed for New Zealand to participate in an upcoming bilateral series. The tour will feature five T20 International matches, starting from March 15. Teams stranded after T20 World Cup exit The West Indies team has been stranded in Kolkata since March 1, after they lost their final Super Eight match against India in the T20 World Cup. With no immediate travel options available due to airspace closures, the team had to wait several days before arrangements were finalized. South Africa faced a similar situation after their semi-final defeat to New Zealand on March 4 at Eden Gardens. The Proteas were also unable to leave the country because of the travel restrictions and flight disruptions.