Defending champions Chennai Super Kings (CSK) may miss the services of Moeen Ali for the IPL 2022 opener as the star England all-rounder is yet to receive his Indian visa for the 15th edition of the lucrative T20 tournament beginning in Mumbai on Saturday.
CSK, four-time IPL champions, will take on last edition's runner-up side Kolkata Knight Riders in the opening match of the this year's IPL at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai on Saturday.
"It is learned that Mr. Ali would need to arrive in Mumbai by Wednesday to stand a chance of playing his team's first match against 2021 runners-up Knight Riders," a report in 'ESPNcricinfo' stated.
"Considering that Mr. Ali would need to undergo the mandatory three-day quarantine to enter the IPL bio-secure environment, Super Kings' management has accepted that the chances of him playing the opening match appear remote," the report added.
The report further states that if Mr. Ali fails to arrive on time, New Zealand batter Devon Conway is likely to make his IPL debut.
"The Super Kings will likely feel the pinch in their first match, considering Mr. Ali's off spin would have been handy against Knight Riders' trio of left-handers: Venkatesh Iyer, Nitish Rana and Sunil Narine," it read.
Because of his fine all-round show which helped the team lift its fourth IPL title, Mr. Ali was retained by CSK along side inspirational captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni, Ravindra Jadeja and Ruturaj Gaikwad.
Mr. Ali scored 357 runs from 15 innings for CSK in the IPL last year, while also accounting for six wickets from 15 games with his off-spin bowling.
