Ali Khan, a fast bowler from the United States who was born in Pakistan, has stated that he has been refused an Indian visa prior to the 2026 T20 World Cup, raising doubts over his availability for the tournament’s opening match against India in Mumbai.
Khan stated that he had been “denied” a visa in a caption for an Instagram story on Tuesday, but he gave no other information. The 35-year-old is at the USA team’s training camp in Colombo right now.
On February 7, the first day of the competition, the USA will start their campaign against hosts India at the Wankhede Stadium. The timing couldn’t be worse. Their Group A schedule is primarily focused on India, with matches against Namibia on February 15 and the Netherlands on February 13 in Chennai. On February 10, they will also play Pakistan in Colombo.
Although the United States has not yet formally announced their 15-man World Cup squad, it is anticipated to be chosen among the 18 players who are now undergoing training in Sri Lanka. The coaching group will choose the team, but the ICC, which took over after USA Cricket was suspended late last year, is in charge of administrative and logistical issues.
Along with former Pakistan Test cricketer Ehsan Adil and Mohammad Mohsin, Khan is one of three Pakistani players now playing for the USA. The ICC is believed to be working behind the scenes to facilitate the situation and is sure that it will be resolved, despite the fact that it has not made an official comment.
Due to rigorous security checks and lengthy processing periods, visa troubles have been a persistent concern for a number of associate nations prior to India-hosted matches, especially for players with Pakistani roots or paperwork links. Concerns that off-field paperwork could turn into an unwelcome tournament subplot have also been raised in recent days by a broader debate of travel and logistical difficulties for visiting teams.
At a crucial juncture, when teams usually finalize combinations, regulate workloads, and define player roles, any protracted delay in deciding Khan’s case might push the USA into late squad reshuffles.
After making it to the Super Eights stage in the 2024 edition, the USA was directly qualified for the 2026 T20 World Cup. Three of their four Group A games are set to take place in India, making the resolution of visa-related concerns especially crucial as the tournament draws near.
