T20 WC-Winning Indian Team Stuck in Hurricane-Hit Barbados, Electricity & Water Supply Affected

Bhubaneswar: The T20 World Cup-winning Indian team, family member and the media contingent were stranded in Barbados after the Caribbean nation was hit by Hurricane Beryl (Category 4) on Sunday night local time with the centre of the storm approximately 80 miles off the south coast.

The morning after the storm (Monday evening Indian time), the fury had subsided but electricity and water supply were affected in Bridgetown and its surroundings.

The team, which had put up at Hilton Hotel, was initially scheduled to take an Emirates flight from New York with a stopover in Dubai. The authorities, however, announced closure of Bridgetown’s airport as the storm with sustained winds of up to 210 kmph, loomed just 570 km east-southeast of Barbados. “The team was supposed to travel from Bridgetown to New York and then to India via Dubai. Now, a charter flight is being arranged straight to Delhi. A meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi is also being considered,” TOI reported, citing a source.

Curfew was imposed in the city from 6 pm (Sunday) and all stores and offices were also shut down.

The 72-member Indian delegation includes players, coaching staff, family members, and officials.

BCCI secretary Jay Shah, is also in Barbados, having travelled to the Caribbean to watch the semifinal and final.

“After revised travel plans are finalised, we will think about the felicitation,” Shah told reporters in Barbados.

On Saturday, the Men in Blue won T20 WC trophy for the second time, defeating South Africa by seven runs in Barbados.