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Both the West Indies and South Africa have finally received clarity over their departure from India following the end of their T20 World Cup 2026 campaigns amid the travel issues caused by military conflicts in the Middle East. 

According to reports, the two sides, who are still stranded in Kolkata, are set to depart from India in the early hours of Tuesday, March 10, two days after the conclusion of the entire tournament. 

The two sides are set to first travel to Johannesburg, with the West Indies side carrying on with their travels to Antigua from South Africa. This comes after both sides were expected to leave India on Sunday, March 8.

It is worth mentioning that the entire South African team management, along with Keshav Maharaj, George Linde and Jason Smith, will be flying to New Zealand to take part in the T20I series against the BlackCaps, starting 15 March.

Players from both teams expressed their frustrations with the lack of communications and clarity regarding their travels on social media. West Indies coach Daren Sammy, along with spinner Akeal Hosein, made their feelings clear on X (formerly Twitter).

Joining the duo were the South African pair of Quinton de Kock and David Miller, who were surprised to see England having their travels arranged before them and flew back to London on Saturday. 

The Caribbeans have been stranded in India for well over a week before they leave on Tuesday. The Caribbean outfit last featured at the T20 World Cup on March 1 when they faced India in their last Super Eight game. South Africa, on the other hand, competed in the semi-final against New Zealand on Wednesday, March 5. 

Unlike the Proteas, however, the Caribbean side does not have an immediate bilateral series to worry about in the coming weeks. 

It is worth mentioning, though, that a few players from the Windies squad, including Jason Holder, Shimron Hetmyer and Rovman Powell, amongst others, will have to travel back to India to take part in the 2026 Indian Premier League.