USA’s Pakistani-origin fast bowler, Ali Khan, has seemingly been denied an Indian visa just weeks before the ICC T20 World Cup 2026 begins in the country.
The American team were underdogs in the previous edition of the tournaments, and greatly exceeded expectations, defeating the likes of Pakistan, and eventually qualified for this year’s T20 World Cup.
However, they might miss a key figure going by Ali Khan’s recent social media post which suggests that he has been denied an Indian visa. Here’s what his post said:
“India visa denied but KFC for the win“
USA’s Pakistani Cricketers Denied Indian Visa?
According to an Instagram story by USA’s Ali Khan, the fast bowler’s application for an Indian visa to travel with USA to the T20 World Cup next month has been denied. Shayan Jahangir, Ehsan Adil & Mohammad Mohsin in the same boat. Would be a major blow to USA’s Super 8 chances. pic.twitter.com/3FNAJGAKMi
— Peter Della Penna (@PeterDellaPenna) January 13, 2026
Along with Ali Khan, other Pakistani-USA cricketers like Shayan Jahangir, Mohammad Mohsin and Ehsan Adi are being rumored to have been denied Indian visas for participating in the T20 World Cup, which kicks off February 7, 2026.
However, according to a report by Times Of India, no visas have been rejected formally, and these players are still waiting for their visas to be approved after appearing for their scheduled interviews at the Indian High Commission in Colombo on January 13.
The USA squad is currently based in Sri Lanka as they complete the final leg of their build-up to the February tournament. Their first match is against India on February 7 in Mumbai at the Wankhede Stadium.
The last time these two sides met, it was in the 2024 T20 World Cup, where the Men in Blue picked up the win to no one’s surprise.
Besides this game, two of USA’s remaining group stage fixtures are in India, in Chennai, and one is in Sri Lanka. Whether their Pakistan-origin players are able to participate in the India-based matches remains to be seen.
