TATA IPL 2022: “He has been a frequent traveller to India and yet he has not got the travel papers,” says CSK CEO citing visa issues on this player

Chennai Super Kings, the defending champions, are concerned about all-rounder Moeen Ali’s availability, since his arrival in India has been delayed owing to visa concerns.

The management of the Chennai Super Kings is anxious about the ongoing delay in the arrival of England all-rounder Moeen Ali, who has been awaiting confirmation of his travel paperwork from the Indian High Commission in the United Kingdom. The Chennai squad retained Moeen for Rs 8 crore. CSK supporters are concerned about whether Moeen would arrive in India in time to join the squad for the first match, as he is one of the reasons that CSK won their fourth IPL title last year.

“He had applied for his visa on February 28. It has been more than 20 days since the application was submitted. He has been a frequent traveller to India and yet he has not got the travel papers. We are hoping he will join the team soon. He has told us that he will take the very next flight after getting the papers,” Kasi Viswanathan, the CEO of the CSK was quoted as saying by Cricbuzz on Saturday.

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“Even the BCCI has got itself involved to help us. We are hoping that he will get the papers by Monday,” he added.

When Moeen Ali arrives in India, he will be subjected to a three-day quarantine, making him a doubt for the first match. The Indian and abroad players have also been permitted to move from bubble to bubble, allowing the teams to continue their season preparations without interruption.

The Chennai Super Kings, captained by MS Dhoni, have been training in Surat for the past month. On March 26, they face Kolkata Knight Riders at Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai in their first match of the IPL 2022 season.

During CSK’s title-winning season in 2021, Moeen scored 357 runs and produced six vital wickets. He was a significant asset for MS Dhoni, and the franchise showed their faith in him by designating him as one of the four retainers ahead of the IPL 2022 major auction. CSK announced Ravindra Jadeja as their first retention for 16 crores, followed by Dhoni for 12 crores, Moeen for eight crores, and Ruturaj for six crores.