Following the cancellation of a chartered flight, the ICC arranges individual flights for players from the West Indies and South Africa.

Players from South Africa and the West Indies are still stuck in Kolkata after their return trip plans fell through on Tuesday. The players were irritated when a chartered flight that was supposed to transport both teams to Johannesburg did not go as scheduled. Since many of the players and support staff will once again need to return to India for the 2026 tournament, the organizers are once again compelled to find alternate travel arrangements so that they can return as soon as possible.

Instead of making reservations for the entire team, the ICC booked individual flights for each player after the incident. Jay Shah, the chairman of the ICC, reportedly told the players to travel safely. However, on Monday night, West Indies coach Daren Sammy departed India for the Caribbean.

Every player from South Africa and the West Indies has a reservation on a separate commercial airline flight. Although it is obviously not possible for everyone to book on the same airline, ICC has handled individual reservations. An ICC source with knowledge of the development told PTI on condition of anonymity that ICC chairman Jay Shah personally spoke to players and promised them a safe return home.

The source added, "It must be mentioned that Darren Sammy is already on his way home, having left on Monday night."

Notably, airspace restrictions following Israeli and American strikes on Iran have recently impacted international travel routes throughout parts of West Asia. Since then, a number of airlines have refrained from operating flights through the Gulf region. The closure of Dubai airspace has also prevented Emirates, an airline partner of the ICC, from operating flights, which has complicated travel arrangements for travelers heading to the Caribbean and Africa.

The charter service had previously informed the team members that they would leave Kolkata on Tuesday. They were later notified that the flight would not proceed.

The "chartered flight was cancelled and no further information regarding this is received," according to the most recent development on Tuesday afternoon. Maximum players are now making their own arrangements because the chartered flight may have been canceled at the last minute due to logistical issues.

Following their Super Eight loss to India at Eden Gardens, the West Indies team has been in Kolkata since March 1. After losing to New Zealand in the semifinals on March 4, South Africa stayed in the city. Ten members of their support staff and about twelve West Indies players remain in India. Twelve players and two support personnel make up the South African team.