Moeen Ali freaked out, 'parents were in PoK' where Indian missiles struck as he was 'scrambling' to get out of India

Moeen Ali was among the few overseas players who did not return to India when the 2025 season of the Indian Premier League (IPL) resumed on May 17. He was in India earlier this month for the IPL amid the escalating tension with Pakistan, while his parents were stuck in Pakistan-Occupied Kashmir (PoK) at the same time, which was quite unnerving.
Moeen was originally part of the Kolkata Knight Riders set-up in the IPL 2025. He was in India with his wife and children when the tournament was suspended on May 9 after the match between Punjab Kings and Delhi Capitals was halted midway through the first innings in Dharamsala after blackouts in certain north and north-western parts of the country.
Taking on the Beard Before Wicket podcast, Moeen revealed that his parents were in PoK, about an hour away from where Indian missiles had struck as part of Operation Sindoor. He admitted that it freaked him out, but they eventually got out of Pakistan on the last flights available.
"My parents were actually in Kashmir at the time… in Pakistan, only about an hour away from where the strikes happened probably. Maybe a bit farther. So it was a bit crazy and then they managed to get the only flights out actually on that day. I was glad they got out, but it was crazy," he said.
Moeen also opened up on his own experience in India during that time, finding himself in the midst of chaos, and he scrambled to get out of the country with his family.
He said: "It was mad, obviously there were those attacks in Kashmir before everything really kicked off. Then within no time things just rapidly escalated and all of a sudden we're in the middle. It felt like we're in the middle of a war, but obviously we didn't hear anything (like missiles striking). All of a sudden you're just scrambling to get out of the country and just to make sure obviously your family's fine. People are worried about you back home and just to make sure they're at ease as well."
The former England all-rounder, who had announced his retirement in September 2024, said that he managed to leave India even before the tournament got suspended.
"So the night before they cancelled it… I'm one of those who doesn't care what we're playing in the IPL or the PSL. What's important is to be safe. Or try and be as safe as possible. I mean you're never safe anywhere in the world. But try to obviously protect your family and kids as much as you can. All that kind of stuff and just make sure everything's good. 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," said Moeen.

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