"We spoke to him about the issue and he is hoping that matter will be resolved soon. All necessary documentation has been done but don't know why his visa approval hasn't come. As soon he will get his Visa he will fly to India and join the team," Super Kings CEO Kasi Viswanathan told India Today.
More about Ali’s visa approval
Viswanathan also spoke to Cricbuzz recently on Saturday, Ali has applied and submitted the required paperwork on February 28. Since then, 21 days have passed for the England international to receive the green light for a flight to India.
“He had applied for his visa on February 28. It has been more than 20 days since the application was submitted. He has been a frequent traveler to India and yet he has not got the travel papers,” Viswanathan said.
“We are hoping he will join the team soon. He has told us that he will take the very next flight after getting the papers.”
The CEO further added, in getting the player to join the rest of the pack in India, the BCCI has been involved in the process and the franchise is hoping Ali to receive clearance exactly on Monday (today).
"Even the BCCI has got itself involved to help us. We are hoping that he will get the papers by Monday,” Viswanathan added.
The situation is getting more difficult for Ali and the franchise since oversees players arriving in India are required to undergo a three-day quarantine mandate. For Ali, should not arrive today or tomorrow, the likelihood of him training with fellow teammates is slim and he would miss the opening match.
At the time of writing this article, there is no fixed information about Ali making his way to India. While for the Super Kings, training has been taking place in Surat as both domestic and international players have arrived.
Ali’s stats
The Pakistani and English descent began his domestic career early in 2005 with the Warwickshire county cricket club. The right-arm off-break bowler has been involved actively with England’s national cricketing team since 2014.
The veteran has retired from Test cricket last year and is not currently with the national team in the Caribbean playing against the West Indies in Tests matches. Having recorded 64 Tests, 112 ODIs, 49 T20Is and 198 FCs in his professional cricketing career.
