BCCI Breaks Silence On SRH Owner Kavya Maran’s Franchise Buying Pakistan’s Abrar Ahmed In The Hundred

Cricket

oi-Ashish Rana

The signing of Pakistan leg-spinner Abrar Ahmed by Sunrisers Leeds in The Hundred auction has triggered a major debate, with the BCCI making it clear that it has no role in the matter as the deal involves a foreign tournament and not the IPL.

BCCI Vice-President Rajeev Shukla addressed the controversy on Friday and said the Indian cricket board cannot interfere in the signing, even as the move drew strong reactions online because Sunrisers Leeds is owned by the same group behind Sunrisers Hyderabad.

BCCI distances itself from Abrar Ahmed signing

Responding to the growing backlash, Rajeev Shukla said the BCCI has no authority over a franchise’s decisions in overseas leagues. Speaking to ANI, Shukla said, “It is not in our domain (IPL), they have done it for some foreign league. They will have to take a call; we cannot do anything.”

His remarks came after Sunrisers Leeds signed Abrar Ahmed for 190,000 Pounds (US$255,000) during the inaugural men’s Hundred auction in London. The move is significant because it makes Abrar the first Pakistan player to be signed by an Indian-owned team in The Hundred.

Social media backlash erupts after historic deal

The decision has sparked intense criticism on social media, particularly targeting Sunrisers Leeds co-owner Kavya Maran. Many users pointed to alleged comments attributed to the 27-year-old Pakistan spinner, in which he was accused of mocking the Indian Air Force and Army during the period surrounding Operation Sindoor in May last year.

The controversy quickly turned the auction signing into a wider talking point beyond cricket, with fans questioning how an Indian-owned franchise could move for an active Pakistan cricketer amid the already sensitive sporting and political backdrop between the two countries.

Sun TV’s full takeover changed the franchise landscape

According to ESPNcricinfo, Sun TV, the Indian media group behind the Sunrisers brand, completed a full takeover of the Leeds franchise, formerly known as Northern Superchargers, last year.

The group first acquired a 49 per cent stake from the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB), before buying the remaining 51 per cent from Yorkshire, with the total deal valued at around 100 million Pounds. The ownership change was part of a broader trend, with stakes in three other Hundred teams also sold to investors linked to IPL franchises.

Sunrisers’ wider franchise network includes Sunrisers Hyderabad in the IPL and Sunrisers Eastern Cape in SA20, but notably, none of these teams had previously signed an active Pakistan player. In Leeds, the franchise had to beat Trent Rockets in a bidding battle to secure Abrar shortly before the lunch break.

Auction scrutiny grows over Pakistan player selections

Even before the auction began, there had already been questions over whether the four teams linked to IPL owners would bid for Pakistan players at all, amid reports of a possible ‘shadow-ban’.

However, all eight teams had reportedly committed to making decisions based on “performance, availability and the needs of each team”, which made Abrar’s signing a closely watched moment in the auction.

Abrar was the second Pakistan player sold in the men’s auction. Earlier, Usman Tariq was picked up by Birmingham Phoenix for 140,000 Pounds (US$187,000). Unlike Sunrisers Leeds, teams such as Trent Rockets and Birmingham Phoenix are jointly owned by their host counties, Nottinghamshire and Warwickshire, along with American investor groups.

While Pakistan players have featured in several T20 leagues involving IPL-linked owners around the world, no active Pakistan international has played in the IPL since 2008, reflecting the long-running geopolitical tensions between India and Pakistan.