Four USA cricketers of Pakistani origin — Ali Khan, Shayan Jahangir, Mohammad Mohsin and Ehsan Adil — are currently awaiting visa clearance to travel to India for the upcoming ICC Men’s T20 World Cup, following their scheduled appointments at the Indian High Commission in Colombo. The development has attracted attention, but officials have stressed that the process is routine and ongoing, with no formal rejection issued at any stage.
As reported by Cricbuzz, the four players are presently in Sri Lanka with the USA squad as part of their final preparation phase for the February showpiece. They attended their visa appointments on Tuesday, January 13, and completed all required documentation in advance, as instructed by the ICC. However, visas were not granted immediately at the appointment stage, which is not uncommon in such cases.
Sources familiar with the matter confirmed that the applications remain under review and are progressing through standard government channels. Importantly, there has been no denial, and the process is said to be moving in line with established Indian government protocols.
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“They had their appointment at the Indian Embassy in Sri Lanka and completed the paperwork exactly as requested by the ICC,” a source told Cricbuzz. “At the appointment, they were informed that the visas could not be processed immediately. Later, USA team management was informed that some of the required inputs had been received, while additional clearances were still awaited from the Ministry of External Affairs. Once that process is completed, the players will be contacted.”
FAKE NEWS.
This should be common knowledge that Visa process for players of Pakistani origin WILL take longer.
It is Standard operationg procedure. They have NOT been denied,simply asked to wait longer.But won’t be surprised if leading websites carry the same old nonsense https://t.co/fF3AwgL91G pic.twitter.com/gW6m9hZlCP— Guru Gulab (@madaddie24) January 14, 2026
News being spread on the Pak-origin USA players having “been denied” Indian visas for the World Cup is false. Apparently they had an appointment today and obviously their Pak origin will entail due processes and their visas will take a few days. Same goes for Pak origin players…
— Vikrant Gupta (@vikrantgupta73) January 13, 2026
The situation gained wider public attention after Ali Khan shared an Instagram story referencing a “visa denial,” which triggered speculation on social media. However, officials were quick to clarify that the applications are still under consideration and that the delay should not be misinterpreted as a rejection.
Historically, visa applications for players of Pakistani origin — regardless of nationality or team — are subject to additional administrative scrutiny when travelling to India. Similar procedures have applied in the past to international cricketers such as Moeen Ali, Shoaib Bashir and Usman Khawaja.
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Such cases typically require multiple levels of clearance, including final approval from India’s Ministry of External Affairs, a process that operates independently of cricket boards or tournament organisers. The same protocols apply uniformly across teams participating in the World Cup, including squads from Canada, UAE, Oman and Italy, all of whom have players of Pakistani origin in their ranks.
