Sunrisers Leeds are facing a massive backlash on social media for picking Pakistan's Abrar Ahmed in the Hundred auction on Thursday. This move from the franchise ended the unofficial 'shadow' ban on Pakistan players from the Indian owners in different T20 leagues. This is the first time that the Indian-backed team in a T20 league has selected a player from Pakistan and on expected lines, the Sunrisers' co-owner Kavya Maran is also under the scanner.
She was present at the auction table and was raising the paddle as well to secure players' services. Kavya did the same in Abrar's case as there was a fierce bidding war between Sunrisers Leeds, and Trent Rockets. Eventually, the Leeds side won the bidding war as they splurged Rs 2.34 crore for the cricketer. Now, let us know more about Kavya Maran and who she is:
Who is Kavya Maran?
Kavya Maran is the daughter of billionaire media mogul Kalanithi Maran, the founder of the Sun Group. She is the Executive Director of Sun TV Network and the CEO of the group's sports vertical. She manages three cricket teams - Sunrisers Hyderabad in IPL, Sunrisers Eastern Cape in SA20 and Sunrisers Leeds (The Hundred).
Sunrisers took over the major stakes from Northern Superchargers and renamed the team to Sunrisers Leeds. Kavya makes sure to support all three teams in these leagues and visits several of their matches during the tournament. More often than not, she goes viral on social media for her reactions during the match. But this time around, she is being targeted for going against the wishes of the fans and picking a Pakistan player in the squad.
On the business front, Kavya was awarded the Face and Force behind Sunrisers Hyderabad in January 2024 at the Devi Awards. In 2023, she featured in the list of ‘100 Women Achievers of India’, thereby becoming the youngest businesswoman to be etched on it.
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