England star Moeen Ali is set to miss the first game of the new Indian Premier League season due to visa issues.
Moeen is set to feature for reigning champions Chennai Super Kings at this year's tournament, having been retained by the franchise after an impressive display in 2021. The all-rounder scored 357 runs at an average of 25.50 and a strike rate of 137.30 and picked up six wickets at an economy rate of just 6.35 last year.
However, Chennai have confirmed that he will miss the tournament opener against Kolkata Knight Riders on March 26 because of a delay in getting him a visa. Moeen applied for a visa last month but the Indian High Commission in London is yet to approve it.
Although Chennai have attempted to expedite the process by asking the BCCI for help, they have now accepted that he will be unavailable for their first match. Under current restrictions, the 34-year-old will have to undergo a three-day quarantine period before entering the IPL's bio-bubble.
"He has still not got his visa," Chennai CEO Kasi Viswanathan said. "We are expecting that it will be done in a day or two.
"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."
Meanwhile, Moeen has helped convince his Chennai teammate Dwayne Bravo to join Worcestershire for this summer's T20 Blast. Moeen captains Worcestershire in T20 cricket and spoke to Bravo about the potential of him joining the county during last month's Bangladesh Premier League.
"When Moeen mentioned the possibility of me coming over for the Blast whilst we were both at the BPL, it was an opportunity I wanted to seriously look at," Bravo said. "It's great that it has all come together. The Vitality Blast is one of the domestic T20 titles that I am yet to win and I will be working hard to help the team achieve success."
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