India’s football friendly against Jordan in Amman on Saturday evening will go ahead as scheduled despite seven members of the travelling team being stuck at Kuwait Airport for 32 hours because of a thunderstorm and heavy rains.

Seven India players – Jeje Lalpekhlua, Balwant Singh, Manvir Singh, Sumeet Passi, Udanta Singh, Halicharan Narzary, and Ashique Kuruniyan – along with some members of the support staff were left stranded at Kuwait International Airport for over 32 hours en route to Amman, the All India Football Federation said in a press release.

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To add to the dismay and frustration of the players, their luggage, including kits, team equipment and personal belongings, was also missing when they finally landed in Amman. Another batch, consisting of 15 players, had reached Amman early on Thursday, according to officials travelling with the team.

Kuwait had on Wednesday halted all departing flights from the airport and redirected those landing to Dubai, Manama, and Dammam, reported Al Jazeera. Kuwait City had been hit with heavy rain earlier this week. The country’s national meteorological department reported 98mm rainfall on Thursday, which is far more than the 18mm usually recorded in November, according to the report.

India striker Balwant Singh had earlier admitted that such delays “affect the team” to some extent. “Delayed flights and unregulated delays disturb the routine a bit. But as professional players, it’s our job to cope up with it,” he had said.

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However, the AIFF said the match, the first-ever international friendly between the two countries, will kick off as scheduled on Saturday at 10.30 pm IST. With Jordan due to face Saudi Arabia on Tuesday, re-scheduling of the match is out of the question.

India face Thailand, UAE and Bahrain in their group-stage matches at the AFC Asian Cup starting on January 6.