Canceled IndiGo Flights Disrupt Domestic Cricket Travel Plans

The recent crisis involving IndiGo airlines has caused significant disruptions to the travel plans of domestic cricketers in India. Thousands of flights have been canceled in the past days due to a pilot shortage, as the airline failed to adjust to new regulations restricting pilots’ working hours.

This situation has left many teams participating in the Under-19 Cooch Behar Trophy and the U-16 Vijay Merchant Trophy stranded after their flights were canceled. As a result, players found themselves stuck at airports across the country. With both tournaments set to commence on Monday, some state cricket associations, such as the Jammu and Kashmir Cricket Association and the Cricket Association of Bengal, have resorted to sending their teams to their destinations by road.

The Bengal U-19 team, which was scheduled to play against Goa in Kalyani starting Monday, had to travel by bus from Bhilai early on Saturday. Sanjay Das, treasurer of CAB, stated to Sportstar, “We didn’t have a choice. The flights were canceled, so we arranged a bus from Bhilai to Kalyani. There is hardly any time before the game, and this was the only solution we could think of.”

The Bengal players and staff started their journey from Bhilai, an industrial hub in Chhattisgarh, at around 1:30 am Saturday on a 906-kilometer trip by luxury bus via Raipur and Sambalpur, ensuring stops for meals along the way. As of 11:30 pm on Saturday, the coach, Sourasish Lahiri, informed Sportstar from Kharagpur that the team had been traveling for over 11 hours and still had four hours to go before reaching their destination.

While the U-19 competition kicks off on Monday, the U-16 matches begin Sunday at various smaller venues. After being stuck in New Delhi for nearly eight hours on Friday, the Jammu and Kashmir U-16 team had to take a luxury bus to Surat. Meanwhile, the U-23 team, set to face Vidarbha in Nagpur on Monday, embarked on a 1,746-kilometer bus journey from Jammu after all flights were canceled. They were a few hours away from Nagpur by the time of reporting.

In response to these challenges, several state units have sought guidance from BCCI officials. BCCI President Mithun Manhas assured Sportstar that the Board is prepared to postpone matches by a day if teams arrive late due to travel delays. “We’re in constant touch with the state associations,” Manhas said. “Given the situation, if teams are late, matches will start a day later.”

Financially and logistically strained by the crisis, state associations have had to incur extra costs for alternative travel arrangements. For example, the Gujarat Cricket Association paid significantly more for alternate tickets after initial flights from Ahmedabad to Shivamogga were canceled.

The disruption isn’t limited to the age-group teams; Harshal Patel, a Gujarat bowler and India international, missed a Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy game due to his flight being canceled. However, he was able to participate in a subsequent match against Himachal Pradesh.

Reaching smaller venues like Hazaribagh has been especially challenging. Jharkhand’s U-19 team only managed to arrive late at night after a long journey, while other teams faced similar struggles.

As more than 1,000 flights remain canceled, state cricket officials have worked tirelessly to arrange alternative travel plans, with hopes that the situation will improve in time for upcoming senior tournaments like the SMAT knockouts and the Vijay Hazare Trophy.