India's T20 world champions still stuck in Barbados after hurricane hits Caribbean

India's T20 World Cup winners' victory celebrations back home have been put on hold as the national team remains stuck in Barbados following a category 4 hurricane which struck Caribbean islands.

The Indian team, their family members, support staff, board officials and members of the media are still in Barbados three days after Rohit Sharma's team lifted the T20 crown following a sensational final against South Africa.

While the Proteas exited the island early, India's travel plans coincided with the onset of Hurricane Beryl, which strengthened into a top-level category 5 storm after sweeping across several islands in the southeastern Caribbean.

Barbados survived the worst of the weather as the hurricane hit 80 miles south of the island, but still caused considerable damage.

The weather has cleared up enough temporarily for the Indian team to travel back home late on Tuesday. According to reports, the Indian team is expected to land in New Delhi Wednesday evening by chartered flight.

Barbados Prime Minister Mia Mottley said she expects operations to return to normal soon.

"We were very blessed that the storm did not come on land. The hurricane was 80 miles south of us, which limited the level of damage on shore. But infrastructure and coastal assets have been badly damaged," Mottley was quoted as saying by the Press Trust of India.

"It could have been a lot worse, but now is the time to do the recovery and the clean-up."

However, Barbadians and visitors to the island are not in the clear yet as another hurricane is expected to hit the island later on Wednesday.

The US National Hurricane Centre stated that Beryl has developed into a "potentially catastrophic" hurricane with maximum sustained winds of 260 kmph.

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