IPL 2022: Moeen Ali gets visa; to be available for CSK's 2nd game against LSG

Four-time defending champion Chennai Super Kings (CSK) can finally breathe a sigh of relief. English all-rounder Moeen Ali has finally obtained the visa and final clearance to travel to India for the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2022. Although he will be missing out on CSK's opening game against former two-time champion Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) on Saturday, he will be available for its second game against new side Lucknow Super Giants (LSG).

Moeen is scheduled to arrive in Mumbai on Thursday, following which he will have to undergo the mandatory three-day quarantine. He will be completing his isolation on Sunday and joining the CSK bubble from Monday. CSK CEO Kasi Viswanathan confirmed the same to PTI, while the publication states that the visa delay occurred due to a set procedure followed for the players of Pakistan descent. For those unaware, Moeen's grandfather was initially a resident of the Pakistan Occupied Kashmir (POK) before migrating to England.

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Although Moeen was born in England, he is a frequent traveller to India. As he looks forward to his second season with CSK, he was impressive in IPL 2021, third-highest run-scorer, scoring 357 runs in 15 innings at an average of 25.50 and strike rate of 137.30. He also hit the fifth-most sixes of the tournament last season (19), while he can be a decent off-spinner too.

CSK retained him for ₹8 crore during the IPL 2022 Mega Auction. CSK is his second IPL team, having previously played for Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) between 2018-20. In IPL, he has scored 666 in 32 at 22.97 and 146.37, including four 50s, with a top score of 66. With the ball, he has claimed 16 from 27 at 6.85, with best figures of 3/7.