'Having a Pakistani background...': Ex-England cricketer recalls India-Pakistan conflict
Kolkata: KKR cricketers Manish Pandey, Varun Chakravarthy, Moeen Ali, Sunil Narine and Quinton de Kock during a practice session ahead of the IPL match between Kolkata Knight Riders and Gujarat Titans, at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata. (PTI Photo/Swapan Mahapatra)
England all-rounder
Moeen Ali
, currently representing
Kolkata Knight Riders
(KKR) in the Indian Premier League (IPL), shared his experience of being in India when the
IPL 2025 season came to a standstill
amid escalating hostilities between India and Pakistan.
"I'm one of those who doesn'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
.
Go Beyond The Boundary with our YouTube channel.
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Moeen Ali, who has Pakistani roots, praised the KKR franchise for taking excellent care of the players.
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'They looked after us really well. They were like, 'Whatever you want, 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," he said.
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"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...
"I genuinely believe these are the same people, just split by borders — exactly the same people. Good people on both sides. The amazing food is the same, everything's the same,' said Moeen Ali.
Who's that IPL player?
The England all-rounder also said that the India-Pakistan tension served as a distraction from the ongoing crisis in 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,' Moeen said.
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