Mahmood gets visa, to join KXIP soon

Mohali: Former Pakistan allrounder Azhar Mahmood, who is now a British citizen, has finally got an Indian visa and would be joining his IPL team Kings XI Punjab soon, skipper Adam Gilchrist said here on Thursday.

"I have just been told that he has received a visa," Gilchrist said after his side beat Pune Warriors India here on Thursday. Gilchrist, who is also the team's coach, said Mahmood (37) should be joining the side soon and "that would be nice".

When Gilchrist was asked on Wednesday about the status of Mahmood, who was picked by KXIP at this year's players' auction, joining the team, he had said, "It's up to the [Indian] government as he is not getting a visa at the moment. We bought a player we were told [would be] available for every game and we are still unable to access our player. It's not in our hands." Mahmood, who has featured in 21 Tests and 143 ODIs for Pakistan, was bought by KXIP for $200,000.

Gilchrist, the skipper of Punjab, said Mahmood (37) should be joining the side soon and \"that would be nice\".

Earlier, the team management had said that Mahmood himself had taken a short break because of personal reasons. The Punjab team is hoping to bolster its bowling and batting attack with Mahmood's presence as they are already without the services of English pacer Stuart Broad, who was ruled out recently because of an injury. If Mahmood plays for Punjab, he will be the only Pakistani player to feature in this season's IPL.

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