'Not in Our Control' - Pakistan's Kho Kho Team Will Not Come to New Delhi Due to THIS Reason

In what can be termed as 'unfortunate', the Pakistan team is set to miss the kho kho World Cup in New Delhi. The Pakistan team will not travel to India for the mega event due to visa problems. The Pakistan players are yet to get their visas granted. While it is unfortunate, one can understand that the Pakistan team would feel heartbroken. The event will take place in New Delhi from January 13-19. India was slated to take on arch-rivals Pakistan at the Indira Gandhi Indoor Stadium, but looks like that match will not happen. 

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‘Team is still awaiting their visas’

“The Pakistan team is still awaiting their visas,” Sudhanshu Mittal, BJP leader and President, Kho Kho Federation of India (KKFI), told The Indian Express.

“When we made the schedule, we had hoped for it to go as planned. But this is not really in our control, the Ministry of External Affairs have not approved their application so it seems like they are unlikely to play,” Geeta Sudan, COO of the Kho Kho World Cup, said.

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TENTATIVE SCHEDULE

The men’s matches kick off with India facing Nepal in the tournament opener at 8:30 pm IST. The league stage will culminate on January 16, followed by the playoffs beginning on January 17. The men’s final will take place on January 19 at 8:15 pm IST.

The women’s opening match sees England taking on Australia on January 14 at 11:45 am IST. For the Indian team, the first match of the tournament is against South Korea on January 14 at 7:00 pm IST.

The group stage concludes on January 16, paving the way for the playoffs on January 17. The women’s final match is scheduled for January 19 at 7:00 pm IST.