Delhi welcomes T20 World Champions amid fan frenzy after cyclone delay

On Thursday, Delhi made history as numerous cricket enthusiasts gathered at the airport in the early hours to catch a glimpse of the 2024 T20 World Champions, who arrived home after being delayed in Barbados by a cyclone.

New Delhi: It was calm and pleasant weather with little showers, the only thing that could be heard was police sirens, suddenly someone shouted “dekho vo aa gaye”, and the shutterbugs went berserk…oh dear, what a sight!

Delhi on Thursday witnessed history as several cricket fanatics came to the Airport in the wee hours to get a glimpse of the 2024 T20 World Champions as the team reached home after being stuck in Barbados due to a cyclone.

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The Rohit Sharma-led side received a grand welcome upon their arrival, and why not, the undisputed champions deserve it.

The players, escorted by police and CISF officials, waved and smiled at their fans, who eagerly snapped photos and took distant selfies with their favorite stars.

Following their arrival, the team proceeded to their hotel — ITC Maurya — before heading to meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi. After the meeting, they will return to the airport to board a special flight to Mumbai.

After reaching Mumbai airport, the team will move to the Wankhede Stadium. The BCCI has arranged for a 1 km victory parade from Nariman Point to Wankhede followed by a small ceremony at Wankhede Stadium.

It is at the iconic venue in Mumbai where BCCI secretary Jay Shah, who was present in Barbados for the final against South Africa on Saturday, will distribute the Rs 125 crore cash prize to the Indian team for winning their first ICC trophy in over a decade.

The Men in Blue were supposed to depart Barbados for New York on Monday morning before taking a connecting flight from Dubai for India a couple of days after winning the T20 World Cup for a second time.

However, the Indian cricketers were stuck on the island for three days due to Hurricane Beryl which swept through the Caribbean, and were only able to fly out of Barbados in the early hours of Wednesday via a charter flight named AIC24WC — Air India Champions 24 World Cup.