No Indian Visa For Pakistan-Origin Players Ahead Of T20 World Cup 2026? Report Reveals Truth
The controversy surrounding the 2026 T20 World Cup continues as reports emerge that Pakistani-origin players on the USA cricket team were allegedly denied visas to travel to India.
The controversy surrounding the 2026 T20 World Cup continues as reports emerge that Pakistani-origin players on the USA cricket team were allegedly denied visas to travel to India. With the USA scheduled to play their first match against India on February 7, less than a month remains before the competition begins. The news broke when USA cricketer Ali Khan posted an Instagram story suggesting that he had not been granted a visa ahead of the tournament. He shared a photograph of himself dining with a teammate with the caption: "India visa denied but KFC for the win." However, according to a report by Cricbuzz, the players were not actually denied visas by Indian authorities; rather, the process is still underway.
The report claimed that the visa clearance process for four Pakistani-origin cricketers-Ali Khan, Shayan Jahangir, Mohammad Mohsin, and Ehsan Adil-is ongoing and that there has been no formal rejection following their scheduled appointments at the Indian High Commission in Colombo, Sri Lanka.
The USA team is currently in Sri Lanka as part of their preparation for the World Cup. ICC sources told Cricbuzz that "all documentation was submitted exactly as required ahead of the appointments." Currently, the players are still waiting to learn the results of their applications.
"They had their appointment this morning at the Indian Embassy in Sri Lanka. They completed the paperwork as per the ICC's instructions prior to the appointments. At the appointment, the players were informed that the visas could not be processed at this stage. 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. That is the current status."
The report added that similar processes will be followed for all Pakistani-origin players from other teams, including the UAE, Canada, Oman, and Italy.
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