Thousands thronged Mumbai’s Marine Drive, and the Wankhede Stadium was at full capacity on Thursday evening, in anticipation of the Indian team’s open-top bus parade and felicitation for winning the T20 World Cup. The team’s arrival in Mumbai from Delhi was delayed, though, and their bus parade in South Mumbai was further delayed by the massive crowds, which caused logistical challenges to the event.
“The squad landed in the city a little after 5pm local time,” PTI reported, adding, “As per the itinerary shared by the officials here, the T20 World Cup winning side was slated for a two-hour open bus parade from the National Centre for Performing Arts (NCPA) in Nariman Point till the Wankhede Stadium from 5pm to 7pm.
“However, it was learnt that the team could only leave New Delhi by 3.42pm.” Delhi to Mumbai is usually a 2-hour, 10-minute flight.
The team had arrived in Delhi from Bridgetown, Barbados, at 6am, having flown in on a charter flight. They had had to stay put in the West Indies for longer than expected because of Hurricane Beryl, which had forced airports closed. After arriving in Delhi, the team was transferred to a hotel and later in the morning met India Prime Minister Narendra Modi for breakfast.
The evening was reserved to meet and celebrate with fans, but with the thousands packing the route to the stadium, and evening showers in Mumbai adding to the logistical complications, there was a long delay before any celebrations could kick off. Eventually, the gates were closed at the Wankhede, with the stadium at capacity, and intermittent but heavy showers followed.
PTI reported: “As the gates closed amid intermittent rain, extreme humidity and chaos of several thousand people arriving in the vicinity, those [who found] places inside Wankhede remained fixed to their seats even if there was scarcity of food and water.
“As the fans ran in all directions … in the stands amid a heavy burst of rain, several pairs of footwear got left behind in the rush.
“While the wait [went on], rain kept pelting down with breaks but it could not force the fans off their seats in the stadium.”