IPL 2022: Moeen Ali arrives in India, will miss CSKs campaign opener against KKR

Moeen Ali, the Chennai Super
Kings all-rounder, has arrived in Mumbai on Thursday to play in IPL 2022. The England
cricketer’s arrival to India was delayed due to visa issues. Because of his
delayed arrival, he was ruled out of CSK’s first match against Kolkata Knight
Riders on March 26.

Also Read: IPL 2022: Ravindra Jadeja opens up about CSK captaincy after taking over the role from MS Dhoni

CSK confirmed Moeen’s arrival on Instagram.
“Mo Bhai is IN! #WhistlePodu #Yellove,” read the caption.

Moeen now has to complete a mandatory
quarantine period to join his teammates in the camp. The left-handed batter
played a pivotal role in CSK’s IPL title triumph last season. He scored 357
runs in 15 matches at an average of 25.50. Alongside his batting, Moeen also
contributed with his off-spin. He picked up six wickets.

Due to his outstanding performance in IPL
2021, Moeen Ali was retained by CSK for IPL 2022 alongside Ravindra Jadeja, MS
Dhoni and Ruturaj Gaikwad. CSK think-tank would want him to join the squad soon
after serving the quarantine period.

Also Read: IPL 2022: Sunil Gavaskar happy with CSK batter Ruturaj Gaikwad’s progress

As Suresh Raina is no longer a part of the
CSK set-up, Moeen is most likely to get the number-three spot.

In the forthcoming season, CSK will be led
by their newly appointed captain Ravindra Jadeja. MS Dhoni, who led CSK in 13
seasons since the inception of IPL, handed over the captaincy to Jadeja on
Thursday.

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After MS Dhoni stepped down on Thursday,
the franchise’s CEO Kasi Viswanathan said he took the decision in the best
interest of CSK. He also said that new captain Ravindra Jadeja will have a
guide in Dhoni during the campaign in the upcoming season and it will work as a
good combination.

“See, it is a decision which he has
taken looking at the best interest of CSK. Whatever MS Dhoni does, he takes CSK’s
best interests into account. We are happy with whatever decision he takes. He
is handing the captaincy to Ravindra Jadeja, Dhoni will be playing with the
team so the bonding will be there,” Kasi Viswanathan was quoted as saying
by NDTV.

Also Read: IPL returns home, Chennai Super Kings take on Kolkata Knight Riders in season opener

Talking about Jadeja’s appointment as a
captain, Viswanathan said, “See, Ravindra Jadeja is probably the best
all-rounder right now. He has been with the team and he knows the team culture.
He is capable of handling, with Dhoni being there, Jadeja will always have a
guiding force behind him. I think it will be a good combination.”