English all-rounder Moeen Ali has finally got his visa clearance to travel to India. The southpaw will arrive in the country by today evening (24th March) and will join Chennai Super Kings (CSK)’s camp, following which he will undergo three days of isolation. 

It is learned that Ali applied for his visa on February 28. He failed to get the clearance for more than three weeks despite having been to India many times. 

With him set to undergo isolation on his arrival, he will miss CSK’s opening game against Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) on 26th March at Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai. 

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Moeen’s father Munir Ali confirmed that the all-rounder got his visa papers to travel to India. "He picked his papers yesterday and is ready to fly," Munir Ali said. 

CSK’s CEO Kasi Viswanathan also confirmed that Moeen Ali will arrive in India on Thursday (24th March) and will miss the opening game against KKR due to the isolation period.  

“He will arrive in Mumbai in the evening and will straight away go into isolation. He will not be available for the first game against Kolkata Knight Riders but we are happy that all the uncertainty has ended,” Kasi Viswanathan said. 

Moeen Ali’s absence in the match against KKR will leave a massive void in CSK’s line-up. The all-rounder played a crucial role for his team with both bat and ball in IPL 2021. He was retained by the franchise, who paid him INR 8 crores, ahead of the mega-auction. 

(Cricbuzz inputs)