A group of Zimbabwe national cricket team players has begun its journey home after being stranded in India due to the closure of Gulf airspace, with the International Cricket Council (ICC) stepping in to arrange alternative travel plans.
Zimbabwe’s T20 World Cup campaign ended last week after they failed to progress beyond the Super Eights stage of the ICC Men's T20 World Cup. However, their departure was delayed as escalating tensions in the Gulf region — following US and Israeli strikes on Iran — led to the suspension of several flight routes.
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The team had originally been scheduled to depart on March 2 but remained stranded in Delhi after airspace closures disrupted transit through the Middle East.
In a statement posted on X, Zimbabwe Cricket confirmed that revised travel arrangements had been secured.
“Zimbabwe Cricket confirms that the Zimbabwe senior men's team participating in the ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2026 are on their way home from India after the International Cricket Council secured alternative travel arrangements following recent transit disruptions,” the statement read.
“Due to flight availability and revised routing, the squad will return to Harare in batches. The first group of players departed India today, Wednesday, while the final group is scheduled to leave on Friday afternoon.”
Zimbabwe were initially booked to fly to Harare via Dubai on an Emirates service, but that route was scrapped. The squad is now travelling home through Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, as part of the revised itinerary.
Meanwhile, the West Indies cricket team have also been stranded in India due to the same airspace restrictions. There has been no official update yet on their return plans.
Despite the travel disruption, Zimbabwe can look back on a memorable tournament that included impressive victories over Australia and Sri Lanka en route to the Super Eights.
