Chennai Super Kings' all-rounder Moeen Ali will miss the first match of Indian Premier League 2022 against Kolkata Knight Riders as he is yet to secure his visa to travel to India, club confirmed in an official statement on Wednesday.
"He has still not got his visa. We have also got in touch with BCCI. BCCI is also working on it. We are expecting that it will be done in a day or two. This is the position as of today. I cannot say that it will be done today. But we are expecting that it can be cleared today," CSK Chief Executive Officer KS Viswanathan said in a release.
"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. That is the position as of today. He is packed and ready. The minute he gets the visa, he will board the next flight to India," he added.
Packed and Ready!
Read MOre #WhistlePodu #Yellove— Chennai Super Kings (@ChennaiIPL) March 23, 2022
Notably, the 34-year old Ali, who was retained by CSK for Rs 8 crore, would need to undergo the mandatory three-day quarantine to enter the IPL bio-secure environment after arriving in India.
Meanwhile, in the absence of Moeen, CSK could hand an IPL debut to New Zealand batter Devon Conway and pair him up with Ruturaj Gaikwad and Robin Uthappa in the top order.
Start the Summer Whistles... #EverywhereWeGo! #TataIPL #WhistlePodu pic.twitter.com/YGrRPIQysy
— Chennai Super Kings (@ChennaiIPL) March 6, 2022
However, the MS Dhoni-led side will likely feel the pinch in their first match, considering Moeen`s off-spin would have been handy against Knight Riders` trio of left-handers: Venkatesh Iyer, Nitish Rana and Sunil Narine.
It is worth mentioning that Moeen played a key role in CSK winning their fourth IPL title last year. He was the third-highest scorer for Super Kings in 2021, hitting 357 runs in 15 innings at an average of 25.50 and strike rate of 137.30.
