Zimbabwe’s men’s cricket team has begun leaving India after being stranded in Delhi for days due to the closure of Gulf airspace following US and Israeli strikes on Iran.
The players were scheduled to depart on March 2 after the end of their T20 World Cup campaign but were unable to travel as flights through the Gulf region were disrupted. The International Cricket Council later arranged alternative travel plans for the team.
"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 board said in a statement on 'X'.
"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," it added.
Zimbabwe were originally scheduled to travel to Harare via Dubai on an Emirates flight. With the Gulf route unavailable, the team is now flying home through Addis Ababa in Ethiopia. Zimbabwe had one of the standout runs in the tournament.
The team beat Australia and Sri Lanka to reach the Super Eights but failed to move further and were eliminated last week. The travel disruption has affected other teams as well.
The West Indies side has also been stuck in India because of the same airspace closure. There has been no update yet on when they will leave.