Defending Indian Premier League champions Chennai Super Kings (CSK) are likely to miss star all-rounder Moeen Ali for the IPL 2022 season opener against Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR). (CSK Squad | CSK Schedule)
Ali, 34, was one of the four players retained by CSK ahead of the IPL 2022 season. The England cricketer, having failed to secure a visa to travel to India, is yet to join the CSK squad.
The 15th edition of the lucrative T20 cricket league starts on March 26 with a clash between the MS Dhoni-led CSK and Shreyas Iyer's KKR.
He would need to arrive in Mumbai by Wednesday to stand a chance of playing the match as there is a mandatory three-day quarantine to enter the IPL bio-secure environment.
"We were expecting Moeen to join us by Monday but because of the delay in issuing a visa, it is not clear when he will leave for Mumbai. He submitted the visa application on February 28, but because of the verification process, there has been a delay. Unless he enters the bubble by Wednesday noon, it won’t be possible for him to play against Kolkata," CSK CEO Kasi Viswanathan was quoted as saying by The New Indian Express.
CSK are already dealing with the absence of Deepak Chahar. The India pacer had sustained a hamstring tear during the recent India vs West Indies series.
Chahar earned INR 14 crore in the IPL 2022 mega auction with CSK spending big on the India pacer. But the 29-year-old is likely to miss the first phase of IPL, if not the full tournament.
Both Ali and Chahar played crucial roles in CSK's title-winning campaign last season.
