SA and WI players finally depart India: ICC confirms, travel crisis over
New Delhi/Kolkata, March 12, 2026: West Indies (WI) and South Africa (SA) players, coaching staff, and family members, who had been stranded in India (primarily Kolkata) for a long time after the conclusion of the ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2026, have finally departed for home. The ICC issued an official statement today (March 12) confirming that the remaining 29 members of SA and the final 16 members of WI have departed on their respective flights in the last 24 hours.
What happened and how long were they stranded?
- West Indies: The team was eliminated from the Super 8s after losing to India (March 1, Eden Gardens, Kolkata). Since then they were stranded in Kolkata – i.e. for about 11 days (from March 1 to March 12). There were a total of 25+ members (players + staff), out of which 9 had already left, and the remaining 16 left today/yesterday.
- South Africa: Eliminated after losing to New Zealand in the semi-finals (March 4). They too were stranded in Kolkata – for about 8 days. There were a total of 29 members (players, staff, family), some of whom (like Keshav Maharaj, George Linde, Jason Smith) had already left for New Zealand (for the bilateral series). The remaining 29 depart within the next 24 hours.
- ICC had arranged charter flights for both teams (Kolkata → Johannesburg → Antigua for WI), but due to the ongoing conflict in West Asia (Middle East) (US-Israel-Iran tensions), the flights were cancelled/delayed due to closure of Gulf airspace (Dubai etc.). Eventually, departures took place in batches on commercial flights.
Reactions from players and experts
- SA's Quinton de Kock and David Miller accused the ICC of bias on social media – saying that England (losing the semi-final on March 5) received a charter within 36 hours and returned home, while WI/SA had been waiting longer.
- WI coach Darren Sammy and Michael Vaughan (former England captain) also questioned the ICC's travel planning: "Power dynamics are wrong, all teams should receive the same treatment."
- The ICC rejected allegations of bias and said: "A safety-first approach was adopted. Global travel conditions were very challenging, but everyone was given equal priority." He understood the players' impatience and mentioned their "anxiousness to return home."
ICC Official Statement (March 12, 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."
Impact and what now?
- Players stayed in hotels, but frustration was high – many posted posts like "just wanna go home."
- The crisis is now over. The ICC stated that the operation was "exceptionally challenging" but successful.
- The incident has raised questions about the ICC's travel logistics, especially since the tournament was between India and Sri Lanka and the host nation's team was celebrating early.
