Sunrisers Hyderabad CEO and co-owner of the team in the Indian Premier League (IPL), Kavya Maran, made the headlines recently as the sister team of the franchise, Sunrisers Leeds, picked Pakistan’s Abrar Ahmed in the team during the Hundred auction. Fans on social media expressed their disappointment over the same, while a few also threatened to boycott SRH during IPL 2026. Legendary Indian cricketer Sunil Gavaskar has also reacted to the matter, stating that the furore across the nation is not surprising.
He highlighted that the Indian franchise owners have ignored Pakistani players not only in the IPL but also in the other T20 leagues across the globe since the 2008 Mumbai attacks. However, ahead of the Hundred auction, the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) had warned the franchises to not sideline players based on their nationality and that the tournament welcomes all the talented cricketers across the world.
“The furore created by the acquisition of a Pakistani player by the Indian owner of a franchise in The Hundred is hardly surprising. Ever since the Mumbai attacks in November 2008, Indian franchise owners have simply ignored Pakistani players for the IPL.
“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,” Gavaskar wrote in his column for Mid-Day.
Daniel Vettori may not understand the dynamics but the Indian owners must know, says Gavaskar
After the auction, Sunrisers Leeds head coach Daniel Vettori confirmed that not only Abrar Ahmed but Pakistan’s Usman Tariq was also on their roster during the auction. He also stated that they had to go for Abrar as they couldn’t secure Adil Rashid’s services earlier. However, Gavaskar felt that Vettori is not expected understand the India-Pakistan dynamics but the Indian owners must have an understanding of the situation.
“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. Daniel Vettori, the coach of the team in The Hundred who hails from New Zealand, may not understand this simple dynamic and so may have wanted some Pakistani players in his team, but 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 added.
Gavaskar warns SRH of boycott in IPL 2026
In his column, Sunil Gavaskar also wrote that the fans may boycott SRH in the upcoming IPL season and the stadiums in Hyderabad could go even empty despite the franchise having some best players in the T20 circuit. He also hoped that sense prevails in the matter and the franchise corrects its mistake in time to avoid extreme reaction from the fans.
“It won’t be a surprise that for every game that this team plays, whether at home or away there will be massive demonstrations by Indian fans protesting at this hard-to-believe buying. In fact, it won’t be a surprise that despite having some of the most attractive stroke makers in their team the crowds may stay away and show their disapproval of the decision.ย There’s still time to undo the wrong and hopefully wiser counsels will prevail,” Gavaskar wrote.
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