Has India really denied visas to US cricketers of Pakistan origin? The real story behind the viral claim

NEW DELHI: A viral social media post by USA fast bowler Ali Khan sparked widespread speculation on Tuesday, with claims that India had denied visas to US cricketers of Pakistan origin ahead of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup. However, officials familiar with the process have clarified that no visas have been formally rejected and that the matter remains part of a standard administrative review.

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Four US players of Pakistan origin — Ali Khan, Shayan Jahangir, Mohammad Mohsin and Ehsan Adil — are currently awaiting visa clearance after attending scheduled appointments at the Indian High Commission in Colombo on January 13. The players are in Sri Lanka with the USA squad as part of their final phase of preparation for the February tournament.




As per a Cricbuzz report, according to sources at the ICC, all four players completed their paperwork exactly as instructed prior to the appointments. “They had the appointment this morning at the Indian Embassy in Sri Lanka. They completed the paperwork as per what ICC had asked them to prior to the appointments. At the appointment, the players were informed that the visas could not be processed at this stage,” the source said. “Later in the evening, USA management received a call from the Indian Embassy indicating that some of the required information had been received, while additional inputs were still awaited from the Foreign Ministry. Once that process is complete, they will be contacted to proceed further.”


The Cricbuzz report further added that the officials have stressed that this does not constitute a visa denial. Instead, the applications are under review, a process that is routine in special-category cases involving players of Pakistani origin, irrespective of nationality or team affiliation. Similar procedures have applied in the past to international cricketers such as Moeen Ali, Shoaib Bashir and Usman Khawaja when travelling to India.

The issue gained traction after Ali Khan posted an Instagram story reading, “India visa denied but KFC for the win,” which fuelled online speculation. However, sources close to the matter reiterated that the applications remain active and that such cases often require clearances from multiple departments, including final approval from India’s Ministry of External Affairs.

Importantly, the same protocols apply across all participating teams. Squads from the UAE, Canada, Oman and Italy — all of which include players of Pakistani origin — are expected to follow identical procedures.

Ali Khan, a Pakistan-born pacer who has represented the USA in 15 ODIs and 18 T20Is, was part of the squad that famously beat Pakistan at the 2024 T20 World Cup. While the USA are yet to announce their final squad for the 2026 tournament, he remains in contention.

The T20 World Cup will be held from February 7 to May 8 across venues in India and Sri Lanka, with the USA placed in Group A alongside India, Pakistan, Namibia and the Netherlands. For now, officials insist the visa process is ongoing — not denied — and urge patience amid the growing buzz.


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