In The Hundred player auction, the Sunrisers Leeds became the first Indian-owned franchise to pick Pakistan cricketer Abrar Ahmed.
The franchise, which is owned by Chennai-based media conglomerate Sun Group, purchased his services for approximately Rs 2.34 crore.
Speaking about the move, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) vice-president Rajeev Shukla stated that the board has nothing to do with the acquisition of the Pakistani player in other global leagues.
“It doesn`t concern us. It`s not the IPL. What happens in The Hundred or other overseas leagues, we have nothing to do with it,” he told PTI.
The franchise also faced backlash following Abrar`s signing, with the team`s X account suspended briefly. It was suspended just hours after the team signed Abrar. The platform did not provide a precise explanation for it, but said “Account suspended” when trying to open it.
After Usman Tariq, who was acquired by Birmingham Phoenix for GBP 140,000 (about Rs 1.72 crore), Abrar was the second Pakistani player sold at the auction. However, the Phoenix franchise is not connected to the IPL and has American owners.
No franchise in the Indian Premier League (IPL) has signed any Pakistani player since 2009 due to strained relations between India and Pakistan.
Abrar`s acquisition did not go down well with the fans, who reacted on the Sunrisers Leeds official X account. Several fans took to social media and criticised the Sunrisers franchise and the owner, Kavya Maran, for signing a Pakistani player amidst the ongoing tensions between the two nations.
Sunrisers team owner, Kavya Maran, was present at the Hundred auction, accompanied by former New Zealand skipper Daniel Vettori. Before the auction, there were rumours about whether any Indian owned side would sign a Pakistani player, but Sunrisers Leeds` acquisition of Ahmed has added further fuel to the fire.
IPL 2026: Tournament`s opening match`s date and venue
On the other hand, the upcoming edition of IPL is all set to begin from March 28. So far, the schedule of only the first 20 matches has been released due to state elections.
The first match of the IPL 2026 is set to be played between the defending champions, Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) and Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) at the M.Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru.
(With PTI Inputs)
