Sunil Gavaskar has questioned the Sunrisers Leeds for signing Abrar Ahmed at The Hundred 2026 auction.
Sunil Gavaskar first high-profile name to criticise Sunrisers Leeds' signing of Abrar Ahmed
Gavaskar has linked the UK-based franchise’s signing of the Pakistan spinner to "deaths of soldiers and civilians" in India. The Sunrisers Leeds signed Abrar at The Hundred auction for £190,000, which drew immediate and sharp reactions in India, even leading to the suspension of the Sunrisers Leeds’ X account, which was later restored.
The Leeds-based side are the sister franchise of Sunrisers Hyderabad, who have also faced calls of boycott following Abrar’s signing. Pakistan players, notably, haven’t been part of the IPL following the 2008 Mumbai terror attacks. The BBC had earlier reported that the India-owned Hundred franchises would shadow-ban Pakistan internationals at the auction, which ultimately wasn’t the case.
“The furore created by the acquisition of a Pakistani player by the Indian owner of a franchise in The Hundred is hardly surprising,” Gavaskar wrote in his column for Mid-Day. “Ever since the Mumbai attacks in November 2008, Indian franchise owners have simply ignored Pakistani players for the IPL.”
"Although belated, the realisation that the fees that they pay to a Pakistani player, who then pays income tax to his government, which buys arms and weapons, indirectly contributes to the deaths of Indian soldiers and civilians, is making Indian entities refrain from even considering having Pakistani artistes and sportspersons.
"Whether it is an Indian entity or an overseas subsidiary of the entity that is making the payment, if the owner is Indian, then he or she is contributing to the Indian casualties. It’s as simple as that,” Gavaskar added.
Gavaskar: Is winning The Hundred much more important than Indian lives?
The former India batter felt that while the support staff, including head coach Daniel Vettori, may not be aware of the dynamics between the two countries, Indian owners understood the situation and thus needed to put their foot down.
“Daniel Vettori, the coach of the team in The Hundred who hails from New Zealand, may not understand this simple dynamic and so may have wanted some Pakistani players in his team, but surely the owner should have had an understanding of the situation and discouraged the purchase. Is winning a tournament in a format that no other country plays in much more important than Indian lives?” he concluded.
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