Amid the uproar over Pakistani cricketer Abrar Ahmed being signed by Sunrisers Leeds in The Hundred auction, BCCI Vice-President Rajeev Shukla on Friday said the Board cannot intervene as the signing is related to a foreign league and the franchise will have to take a call. 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." Sunrisers Leeds bought the leg-spinner for 190,000 Pounds (US$255,000) during the inaugural men's Hundred auction in London, making him the first Pakistan player to be signed by an Indian-owned team in the tournament.
The signing has sparked backlash on social media against Sunrisers Leeds co-owner Kavya Maran, with critics pointing to alleged remarks by the 27-year-old spinner mocking the Indian Air Force and Army during the period surrounding the events of Operation Sindoor in May last year.
According to ESPNcricinfo, the Indian media conglomerate Sun TV completed a full takeover of the franchise, formerly known as Northern Superchargers, last year. The group bought a 49 per cent stake from the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) and the remaining 51 per cent from Yorkshire for around 100 million Pounds. Stakes in three other Hundred teams were also sold to investors who own IPL franchises.
Sunrisers, whose sister franchises Sunrisers Hyderabad in the IPL and Sunrisers Eastern Cape in SA20, have never previously signed an active Pakistan player. The Leeds-based side won a bidding war with Trent Rockets to secure Abrar shortly before the lunch break.
The auction had drawn scrutiny over whether the four franchises owned by IPL investors would bid for Pakistan players amid reports of a possible 'shadow-ban', despite the eight teams committing to selections based on "performance, availability and the needs of each team".
Abrar was the second Pakistan player sold in the auction after Usman Tariq, who was picked up by Birmingham Phoenix for 140,000 Pounds (US$187,000). Trent Rockets and Phoenix are co-owned by their host counties, Nottinghamshire and Warwickshire, respectively, along with American investor groups.
Pakistan players have featured for several global T20 teams owned or part-owned by IPL franchises, but no active Pakistan international has played in the IPL since 2008 due to the long-standing geopolitical tensions between India and Pakistan.
