Welcome home, Champions! T20 World Champions India arrive in Delhi

New Delhi: The T20 World Cup-winning Indian cricket team landed in Delhi on Thursday aboard a specially-arranged charter flight, five days after winning the coveted title in Barbados where it was stranded due to a category 4 hurricane.

Hundreds of fans, holding placards congratulating their favourite players and waving the national flag, braved a steady drizzle to line up outside the Indira Gandhi International airport here to welcome the victorious players.

The Rohit Sharma-led squad won the country its second T20 world title, ending an 11-year wait for an ICC trophy, on Saturday.

The Air India special charter flight AIC24WC — Air India Champions 24 World Cup — took off from Bridgetown, Barbados around 4:50am local time on Wednesday and arrived in Delhi at 6am (IST) on Thursday after a 16-hour non-stop journey.

The Indian squad, its support staff, the players’ families and some board officials are aboard the flight along with members of the travelling media contingent.

Theside won the crown, which is India’s fourth overall World Cup, after pulling off a thrilling seven-run win over South Africa in the final on Saturday but was unable to head back home due to a shutdown forced by hurricane Beryl.

The team is scheduled to meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi at 9am at his residence.

After this, the team will fly to Mumbai to take part in an open bus victory parade followed by a felicitation ceremony at the Wankhede Stadium.