Abrar Ahmed reacts through the 2026 ICC Males’s T20 Cricket World Cup Tremendous Eights match between Sri Lanka and Pakistan on the Pallekele Worldwide Cricket Stadium in Kandy on February 28, 2026. — AFP
NEW DELHI: In an obvious try and stir recent controversy, India cricket legend Sunil Gavaskar has alleged that the signing of Pakistani spinner Abrar Ahmed by an Indian-owned Hundred franchise in England “indirectly contributes to the deaths of Indian soldiers and civilians”.
Gamers from Pakistan haven’t featured within the Indian Premier League (IPL) since 2009 due to deep-seated diplomatic tensions between the 2 nations.
There was hypothesis that Pakistan gamers concerned on the inaugural Hundred public sale in London could be topic to a “shadow ban”, with IPL-affiliated groups refusing to bid for them.
That didn’t come to go, however Sunrisers Leeds — from the identical group that controls IPL staff Sunrisers Hyderabad — confronted a fierce social media backlash after final week clinching a deal for Abrar, paying £190,000 ($252,000) for his companies.
Former Indian cricketer Sunil Gavaskar seems to be on through the ICC males’s Twenty20 World Cup 2022 cricket match between Pakistan and India at Melbourne Cricket Floor (MCG) in Melbourne on October 23, 2022. — AFP
“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,” he wrote, fuelling recent controversy amid many years of strained ties between the 2 neighbouring nations.
“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.”
Three different Hundred franchises — MI London, Manchester Tremendous Giants and Southern Courageous — are at the least part-owned by firms that management IPL groups.
Usman Tariq, the one different Pakistani participant purchased within the public sale, was picked up by American-backed Birmingham Phoenix.
The England and Wales Cricket Board final month issued a press release saying all eight franchises within the 100-ball-a-side competitors had been dedicated to choice based mostly solely on performances.
Pakistan and India, who had been engaged in a lethal battle in Might final 12 months, haven’t performed a bilateral collection in additional than a decade and meet solely in international or regional tournaments.
“There’s still time to undo the wrong and hopefully wiser counsels will prevail,” added Gavaskar, the primary batsman to attain 10,000 runs in Check cricket.
