"Having Pakistani background and being in India...": Moeen Ali's bold remarks on Indo-Pak tensions
Published - 19 May 2025, 06:29 PM | Updated - 19 May 2025, 06:30 PM
Moeen Ali was having a poor run in IPL 2025, and after that, the competition was suspended for a week because of the India-Pakistan war.
Ali was playing for the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR), and when the tensions rose between India and Pakistan, Ali decided to leave India, and he didn't return on the resumption of the tournament.
Read also: Moeen Ali's parent in POK during Operation Sindoor!! KKR veteran reveals spine-chilling story
Moeen Ali on safety in India
Ali, who has Pakistani roots, wants to protect his family during the tough times because Ali was with his wife and kids in India, and his parents were in POK.
"I’m one of those who don’t care whether we’re playing in the IPL or the PSL. What’s important is to be safe, or try to be as safe as possible. I mean, you’re never completely safe anywhere in the world, but you try to protect your family and kids as much as you can,” Moeen Ali said on the Beard Before Wicket podcast.
"It’s crazy to be… not directly in the middle of it, because ..you don’t experience anything firsthand, but it’s happening around you, just around the corner. Obviously, having a Pakistani background and being in India while this is happening… Ali said on being Pakistani background.
Ali left India before the tournament was suspended. Ali left India on May 8, and the tournament was suspended on May 9.
“I was just out (of the tournament) before they even cancelled it, to be honest. To be honest, I wasn't well, so I was really sick at the same time. So I reckon I had some viral thing or whatever it was. I was really, really bad, and I was just out. I was just making sure, like I was fit enough to just get out of there,” Ali added.
Moeen Ali appreciated the KKR management
Moeen Ali was impressed by the KKR management for taking excellent care of all the players.
“They looked after us really well. They were like, ‘Whatever you need, we’ll try and support you as much as we can. So they were amazing in that regard - but it was crazy, man,” Ali stated.
KKR co-owner Shah Rukh Khan was known for his hospitality to all KKR players and management, and this time also his team also perfectly handled the crisis.
Moeen Ali’s conspiracy theory
Ali thinks that the war between India and Pakistan was just a move to distract people from what’s happening in Israel and Gaza.
“I’m a bit of a conspiracy theorist. I think it was more of a distraction, or it was more like an America-versus-China situation in terms of weapons, just to see what’s happening a little bit. There are a lot of theories about these things. I think it’s a distraction from what’s actually happening in Israel and Gaza,” Ali added.
Ali believed that the tensions between the two countries would settle, and he is glad that IPL 2025 resumed.
