New Delhi: Ahead of their much-anticipated arrival back home, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has announced a grand victory parade in Mumbai in honour of the 2024 T20 World Cup-winning Indian team. The Indian team left the Caribbean shores on Wednesday afternoon after a special Air India flight landed in Barbados to take the world champions home.
The Indian team along with the support staff and some BCCI officials were stuck in Barbados in the aftermath of Hurricane Baeryl that lashed the island nation, a day after India beat South Africa in the final to lift the elusive trophy. However, the Indian team departed for Delhi aboard a charter flight from the Grantley Adams International Airport on Wednesday.
Team India will arrive in New Delhi at around 6:30 AM on Thursday. They will be taking a halt in the national capital for a while where they are likely to meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi before heading to Mumbai. The victory parade will get underway at 5 PM at the Marine Drive, near the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai on Thursday.
🏆🇮🇳 Join us for the Victory Parade honouring Team India’s World Cup win! Head to Marine Drive and Wankhede Stadium on July 4th from 5:00 pm onwards to celebrate with us! Save the date! #TeamIndia #Champions @BCCI @IPL pic.twitter.com/pxJoI8mRST
— Jay Shah (@JayShah) July 3, 2024
This is only the second time that the Indian team will have a victory parade in Mumbai after 2007. India won their maiden ODI World Cup title under the legendary Kapil Dev in 1983 but there was no victory parade when the World Cup winners returned home. The same was the case in 2011 when the parade was called off as players requested rest after winning the ODI World Cup title.
The 2011 ODI World Cup final was played at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai and it would have been easier to host a victory parade the following day for the BCCI. However, the idea of an open bus parade was dropped due to the hectic schedule of the players. India’s last victory parade took place after the MS Dhoni-led team won the maiden T20 World Cup title in 2007.
Revisiting India’s last World Cup victory parade in 2007
The Indian team were welcomed to a grand reception back home after lifting the 2007 T20 World Cup trophy in South Africa. Dhoni-led India defeated arch-rivals Pakistan in a nail-biting final to lift the elusive trophy which eased the pain of India’s disappointing exit from the ODI World Cup that year.
The Indian players were paraded in an open-top bus procession from the Mumbai airport to the Wankhede Stadium after the memorable triumph. The victory parade led to a complete traffic shutdown as thousands of fans flocked to the streets in Mumbai to catch a glimpse of the World Cup heroes. The open bus was surrounded by fans as it travelled through the city.
Here are some pictures of India’s victory parade after 2007 T20 World Cup victory:
Indian cricket team got a grand welcome by supporters on arrival in Mumbai after winning T20 World Cup 2007. (Photo: Getty Images)
Indian players were paraded on an open bus in Mumbai after their T20 World Cup triumph in 2007. (Photo: Getty Images)
MS Dhoni and others display the T20 World Cup 2007 trophy during their victory parade in Mumbai. (Photo: Getty Images)
The victory parade in 2007 was a grand affair as people turned up in huge numbers to celebrate India’s T20 World Cup triumph. While there was no parade after the 2011 ODI World Cup victory, the fans will be hoping to give the Rohit-led Indian team a roaring reception when they arrive in Mumbai on Thursday with the T20 World Cup 2024 trophy.
BCCI has organised a victory parade for Team India as the T20 World Cup 2024 champions return home from Barbados. The victory parade will take place in Mumbai on Thursday, July 04. Here is a look at India’s last open-top bus victory parade which took place after their 2007 T20 World Cup triumph. Cricket Sports News: Latest Cricket News, Cricket Live Score, Sports Breaking News from Sports Today
