Zimbabwe cricketers finally head home after ICC reroutes flights amid Gulf airspace closure

Stranded in India due to the closure of Gulf airspace , a batch of Zimbabwe’s cricketers finally began their journey home following the conclusion of their T20 World Cup campaign . The International Cricket Council (ICC) reworked travel arrangements to bypass conflict-affected regions, ensuring the safety of the team.

Zimbabwe, who had a memorable run in the tournament, defeating Australia and Sri Lanka to reach the Super Eights , were eliminated last week. The team had originally been scheduled to depart on March 2 , but the US and Israeli strikes on Iran had closed airspace across the Gulf, leaving the players stranded in Delhi .

In a statement on 'X', Zimbabwe Cricket confirmed, “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 ICC secured alternative travel arrangements following recent transit disruptions. Due to flight availability and revised routing, the squad will return to Harare in batches . The first group of players departed India on Wednesday, while the final group is scheduled to leave on Friday afternoon .”

The players are travelling via Addis Ababa, Ethiopia , instead of the usual Dubai stopover , due to limited flight options and safety considerations. This is why the squad’s departure had to be staggered into batches rather than all leaving together.

The West Indies team faced a similar predicament in India due to the same airspace restrictions, although details of their revised travel schedule remain unavailable.

With the first batch safely airborne, Zimbabwe Cricket can finally breathe easy after a tense few days of uncertainty, bringing an end to a dramatic T20 World Cup journey both on and off the field.