Pakistan-Origin US Cricketers To Miss T20 World Cup 2026? More Players Denied Indian Visa For The Marquee Event

Four US cricketers of Pakistani origin — Ali Khan, Shayan Jahangir, Mohammad Mohsin and Ehsan Adil — are waiting for visa clearance to travel to India for the upcoming ICC Men’s T20 World Cup. They attended their scheduled visa appointments at the Indian High Commission in Colombo.

Players completed Visa Appointments But no Visas Issued 

According to a Cricbuzz report, the players are currently in Sri Lanka with the USA team for the final stage of their preparations for the February tournament. They completed their visa appointments on Tuesday, January 13, but the visas were not issued at that time. There has been no official rejection.
Sources said the visa applications are still under review and are moving through normal government procedures. ICC officials confirmed that all required documents were submitted correctly before the appointments.
“They had their appointment at the Indian Embassy in Sri Lanka and completed all the paperwork as instructed by the ICC,” a source told Cricbuzz.
The issue drew attention after Ali Khan shared an Instagram story mentioning a “visa denial,” which led to speculation on social media. However, officials clarified that no visa has been formally denied.

Need approvals from India’s Ministry of External Affairs

Such cases usually need approvals from several departments, including final clearance from India’s Ministry of External Affairs. This process is separate from cricket boards or tournament organisers.
The same rules apply to all teams in the World Cup, including squads from the UAE, Canada, Oman and Italy, which also have players of Pakistani origin.

The details of Pakistani origin players

Ehsan Adil was born in Sheikhupura and played three Tests and six ODIs for Pakistan between 2013 and 2015. He moved to the USA four years ago and now plays for Kingsmen USA. Ali Khan was born in Attock in Punjab and  he was a net bowler with KKR in 2020  Played for TKR in Caribbean Premier League and Los Angeles Knight Riders in MLC  , Shayan Jahangir in Karachi, and Mohammad Mohsin in Mianwali in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

Past incidents

The report added that Pakistani-origin players have faced similar problems in the past. In 2019, the Zulfiqar brothers, Sikander and Saqib, were denied visas, while Shiraz Ahmed’s visa was delayed for the 2023 World Cup. Australia’s Usman Khawaja in 2017, and England’s Rehan Ahmed and Shoaib Bashir in 2024, also faced visa issues.
Sources from the International Cricket Council said they are helping teams get visas, but this latest situation has increased their workload.

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