Sunil Gavaskar says Abrar Ahmed signing ‘contributes to deaths of Indians’
Former India captain Sunil Gavaskar said Sunrisers Leeds’ signing of Pakistani spinner Abrar Ahmed “indirectly contributed to the deaths of Indian soldiers and civilians”.
Gavaskar’s comments constitute the most high-profile criticism of the Sunrisers’ deal for Abrar at last week’s Hundred auction.
Leeds is owned by the Sun Group, which also owns Sunrisers Hyderabad in the Indian Premier League (IPL). IPL teams have not been allowed to sign Pakistani players since 2009 due to ongoing political tensions between the two countries.
By securing Abrar at the auction, the Sunrisers have allayed fears that the four Hundred franchises affiliated with their IPL teams would refrain from signing Pakistani players.
There was some backlash against the Sunrisers on social media, followed by Gavaskar’s column in the Indian newspaper Mid-Day.
“The outrage over the acquisition of a Pakistani player by an Indian franchisee in The Hundred is hardly surprising,” Gavaskar said.
“Since the Mumbai attacks in November 2008, Indian franchise owners have ignored Pakistani players for the IPL.
“The realization, albeit belated, that the fees they paid to a Pakistani player who paid income tax to his government, who then purchased arms and weapons, indirectly contributed to the deaths of Indian soldiers and civilians, is causing Indian organizations to refrain from even considering recruiting Pakistani artists and athletes.”
BBC Sport contacted Gavaskar and Sunrisers Leeds. The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) declined to comment.
India and Pakistan engaged in a four-day military conflict in April last year following a deadly militant attack on tourists in Indian-administered Kashmir, further worsening their sporting relations.
The two countries have not met in a bilateral series since 2007 and now have a policy of not traveling to international tournaments hosted by the other. Teams have refused to shake hands in recent international fixtures.
Following the signing of Abrar, Sunrisers Leeds received negative reactions on social media. The team’s X account was temporarily suspended on Friday morning, but this is believed to be due to an unrelated technical issue.
Privately, leading figures in Indian football believed that the backlash would be limited to fans on social media and would subside once Sunrisers Hyderabad join the new IPL season later this month.
