'Fees Paid to Pakistan Players Aid Those Killing Indians': Sunil Gavaskar Hits Out at Sunrisers Leeds After Abrar Ahmed Signing

The signing of Pakistan spinner Abrar Ahmed by Sunrisers Leeds has sparked a massive debate among Indian fans. The franchise is owned by the Sun TV Network which is headed by Kavya Maran.

The debate reached a fever pitch after former India great Sunil Gavaskar shared his opinion on the subject. According to the former India captain, Indian owned teams should avoid picking Pakistan players due to the volatile relations between the two nations.

Abrar Ahmed was purchased by Sunrisers Leeds for 190,000 pounds in the first men's auction of The Hundred which was held in London. Abrar also becomes the first Pakistan cricketer to be purchased by an Indian owned franchise in the tournament.

Ever since the signing of the Pakistan spinner was announced, Twitter was set ablaze with the Indian fans taking strong offense to the purchase. The franchise was widely slammed across social media platforms, and its accounts were inundated with angry messages.

Sunil Gavaskar Raises Concerns

In his column for Mid-day, Gavaskar said that the fans' reaction was justified and stated that Indian cricket had actively boycotted Pakistan players ever since the Mumbai terror attacks in 2008.

He wrote:

“The furore created by the acquisition of a Pakistani player by the Indian owner of a franchise in The Hundred is hardly surprising."

Gavaskar added that money paid to players ends up reaching their government in the form of taxes and added that this was the reason for most Indian firms shying away from hiring Pakistani artists and players.

He stated:

"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."

He further clarified that it makes no difference whether the payment is made directly by India or a foreign arm of an Indian entity.

Gavaskar wrote:

“If the owner is Indian then he or she is contributing to the Indian casualties. It’s as simple as that."

Franchise and BCCI Response

However, while Gavaskar aired his concerns, the management of Sunrisers Leeds defended their decision by claiming it was solely made on cricketing merit.

The head coach Daniel Vettori explained that they originally tried to sign leg-spinner Adil Rashid but eventually missed out on the player at the auction. Later, the team had decided to target Abrar Ahmed.

According to the coach, the bowlers bowling style and ability to pick up wickets in powerplay made him an ideal choice especially in Headingley.

Meanwhile, Rajeev Shukla, vice president of the Board of Control for Cricket in India, added that the BCCI would not be able to intervene in the decision. According to Shukla, the Hundred is a foreign league and therefore the decision to sign the player rested with the franchise.