Chennai Super Kings has clarified that Moeen Ali has not made any request to the management to remove a logo from his jersey after reports suggested that the England all-rounder wanted the logo of a liquor brand taken off his jersey due to his faith.
A practising Muslim, Ali does not sport logos of alcohol brands that sponsor his national team or domestic cricket teams as his faith does not allow it. CSK jerseys have the brand logo of SNJ 10000, a beer produced by the Chennai-based SNJ Distilleries.
However, CSK CEO Kasi Vishwanathan said that no such requests were made by the player after reports said that the franchise agreed to remove the logo.
“There has been no request made by Moeen to CSK to remove any logo,” Vishwanathan told IANS.
He told the Indian Express that it was “misquoted”.
CSK picked up Mooen Ali for Rs 7 crore in the auction held earlier this year.
Ahead of the Chennai Super Kings’ match against Delhi Capitals on Saturday in the 2021 Indian Premier League, which will begin on Friday, Ali had lauded captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni for his captaincy, calling CSK a “calm franchise that doesn’t panic”.
“I think what differentiates CSK from other teams is actually how they structure everything―from the squad they have to the way they do things. They look a very calm franchise that doesn’t panic,” Moeen was quoted as saying by the CSK website.
“I’ve spoken to players who have played under MS and they tell me how he improves their game. I believe a great captain does that.
“I think it’s something on every player’s wish list to play under MS. I think it’s the confidence and the clarity he gives people. It’s exciting,” he added.