Sunrisers Leeds signed Pakistan leg-spinner Abrar Ahmed for 190,000 pounds on Thursday, March 12, for the upcoming The Hundred. The development drew significant attention, as the Indian owners have refrained from investing in Pakistani talent over the last few years. Kavya Maran, Sunrisers’ Chief Executive Officer (CEO), was present at the table with head coach Daniel Vettori when Sunrisers bid for Abrar.
That move eventually triggered strong reactions online, with some fans in India expressing anger and even calling for a boycott of Sunrisers Hyderabad during the IPL season. Soon after criticism gained traction on social media, the X account operated by Sunrisers Leeds was suspended and no longer accessible on the platform.
Amid the discussion surrounding the decision, Board of Control for Cricket in India vice-president Rajeev Shukla addressed the issue and clarified that the governing body does not have authority over such matters in foreign leagues. He explained that the BCCI’s jurisdiction is confined to the IPL and does not extend to overseas competitions where privately owned franchises operate.
“Our domain is limited to the IPL. We have nothing to do with what they do in a league outside that. How can we interfere with them signing a player in a foreign league. That’s upto them. It’s purely upto the franchise who have bought a team outside India. If they are taking some player outside India in that league, we are least concerned because, in IPL there is no such player,” Shukla told ANI on Friday.
Leeds explained Abrar’s move
Sunrisers Leeds’ management later explained the cricketing logic behind bringing Abrar Ahmed into their squad. Former New Zealand captain Vettori explained that the team turned to overseas spin options after missing out on Adil Rashid, who was their priority in the auction.
“Once we missed out on Adil Rashid [to Southern Brave], who was a priority early on, then we obviously jumped into the overseas spinner. There were four or five guys that we were looking at and Abrar was one of them," Vettori said after the auction.
