In a new development, England cricketer is all set to miss the first game for Chennai Super Kings, who will cross swords against Kolkata Knight Riders on Saturday. Ali was facing visa issues in the UK, and earlier, CSK CEO showed confidence that the all-rounder would arrive before the game, but as per fresh reports, possibilities of the same looks faded.
The 34-year old Ali, who CSK retained for Rs 8 crore, hasn't joined the four-time champions for the upcoming IPL season. The all-rounder is stranded in the UK after failing to secure the visa necessary to travel to India for the IPL. Even on arrival, Ali will have to undergo the mandatory three-day quarantine to enter the IPL bio-secure environment.
Considering that just three days are now left for the tournament to begin, Ali's absence from the first game is certain. Notably, Moeen was a vital cog in CSK's triumph last season and was the third-highest scorer for Super Kings in 2021, hitting 357 runs in 15 innings at an average of 25.50 and strike rate of 137.30.
Suryakumar Yadav to miss for Mumbai Indians
Meanwhile, another dynamic batter Suryakumar Yadav, who suffered a hairline fracture on his thumb during the final T20I against West Indies, has yet to recover and hasn't been released by the National Cricket Academy Bengaluru, where he is going through rehabilitation for the past few weeks. Yadav is set to miss MI's opening match of the IPL 2022, which will be against Delhi Capitals on March 27.
Yadav's absence will be a massive blow for five-time champions as apart from Rohit Sharma and Ishan Kishan, SKY was one of the most significant Indian batters on top-order. Since 2019, the talented batter has played a pivotal role as a top-order batter for Mumbai Indians. While the five-time champions failed to make the knockouts last season, Suryakumar continued to flourish. He was their second-leading run-scorer with a tally of 317 at a strike rate of 143.43 and an average of 22.
Mumbai will likely be forced to consider the cousins- Ramandeep Singh and Anmolpreet Singh to replace Suryakumar if he remains unavailable. On the other hand, uncapped Hyderabad batter Tilak Varma is a favourite to play at No 3.
