English player Moeen Ali to miss IPL opener, Here's WHY?

Surat: Chennai Super Kings all-rounder Moeen Ali of England will miss the Indian Premier League (IPL) opening game as he is yet to secure his visa to travel to India, the franchise said on Wednesday.

CSK are scheduled to play their first match of 15th edition of the IPL against Kolkata Knight Riders on March 26 at Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai.

Super Kings CEO K S Viswanathan said: "He has still not got his visa. We have also got in touch with BCCI and they are working on it. We are expecting that it will be done in a day or two. This is the position as of today (Wednesday). We are expecting that it can be cleared today."

"How many matches he will miss depends on when he comes in. Right now, he will miss the first game. Even if he comes tomorrow, he will not be able to play the first game... He is packed and ready. The minute he gets the visa, he will board the next flight to India."

CSK retained Moeen as one of their four players prior to the auction as he played a key role in winning their fourth IPL title last year.

He was the third-highest scorer for CSK in 2021 edition, scoring 357 runs in 15 innings at an average of 25.50 and strike rate of 137.30. (UNI)