Hurricane Beryl strands World Cup-winning Indian cricket team in Barbados

The Indian men’s cricket team, which celebrated their win at the T20 World Cup 2024 final on Saturday, are stuck in Barbados due to Hurricane Beryl.

Hurricane Beryl, which is a category 3 storm, is expected to pass by Barbados on Monday, with the storm’s centre approximately 128km off the south coast.

The National Hurricane Center announced on Monday morning: “Beryl still a very dangerous category 4 hurricane.” However, on Monday morning, it weakened to category 3.

“A life-threatening storm surge will raise water levels by as much as 6 to 9 feet above normal tide levels in areas of onshore flow near where the eye makes landfall in the hurricane warning area,” it added.

Winds of up to 130mph are predicted as Hurricane Beryl moves west.

Hurricane warnings are also in effect for Barbados, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadine Islands, and Grenada.

The Indian men’s team was expected to fly home on a charter flight, but were unable to do so due to airports being shut since Sunday evening.

“Like you, we are also stuck here. After the travel plans are clear, we will think about the felicitation,” Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) secretary Jay Shah said to reporters in Barbados.

On Sunday, India finally broke a 12-year losing streak and won the T20 World Cup against South Africa.

This is India’s fourth World Cup win after 1983, 2007, and 2011, and they finished as runners-up in 2003, 2014, and 2023.

“I would want India to win all the titles. We have the biggest bench strength, only three players from this team are going to Zimbabwe. We can field three teams if the need arises,” captain Rohit Sharma said after the match.

At the post-match presentation, Sharma, 37, and Virat Kohli, 35, both announced their retirement from the format.

The duo are the two top run-scorers in the history of T20 internationals, both boasting over 4,000 runs, and they picked their moment of shared triumph to leave the stage.

Kohli top-scored with 76 from 59 balls in a gripping seven-run victory over the Proteas in Barbados, while Sharma finally got his hands back on a trophy he first won as a youngster in 2007.