Cricket legend Sunil Gavaskar condemns Indian-owned Hundred team for signing Pakistan spinner

Cricket legend Sunil Gavaskar has launched a scathing attack on Sunrisers Leeds for signing Pakistani spinner Abrar Ahmed, claiming the move “indirectly contributes to the deaths of Indian soldiers and civilians”.

The Indian-owned franchise’s £190,000 acquisition of Ahmed for The Hundred had initially appeared to allay fears of a ‘shadow ban’ on Pakistani players from Indian Premier League (IPL) affiliated teams. However, the decision has ignited significant controversy.

Gavaskar, a celebrated figure in Indian cricket, including a 1983 World Cup winner and the first player to reach 10,000 Test runs, delivered a withering critique in his column for the Indian newspaper Mid-Day.

“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.

He highlighted the long-standing exclusion of Pakistani players from the IPL since 2009 due to geopolitical tensions.

Gavaskar argued that payments to Pakistani players, through income tax, could ultimately fund arms purchases by their government.

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“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,” he stated.

He further stressed the responsibility of the owner: “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.”

Questioning the priorities, Gavaskar added: “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 with a call for reversal: “There’s still time to undo the wrong and hopefully wiser counsels will prevail.”

Sunrisers Leeds, owned by Sun Group – which also controls IPL side Sunrisers Hyderabad – faced significant online backlash following the signing, leading to the suspension of their X account on the night of the auction.

Despite the controversy, men’s head coach Daniel Vettori had previously insisted he had received “no orders to avoid signing certain individuals”.

The Press Association has contacted Sunrisers Leeds for comment.