Gavaskar links Sunrisers signing of Pakistan’s Abrar to Indian deaths

The signing of Pakistan bowler Abrar Ahmed by Hundred franchise Sunrisers bucked trend by Indian-owned teams.Published On 17 Mar 2026India cricket legend Sunil Gavaskar has alleged that the signing of Pakistan spinner Abrar Ahmed by an Indian-owned Hundred franchise in England “indirectly contributes to the deaths of Indian soldiers and civilians”.Players from Pakistan have not featured in the Indian Premier League (IPL) since 2009 because of deep-seated diplomatic tensions between the two nations.Recommended Stories list of 4 itemslist 1 of 4Iran negotiating with FIFA to move World Cup games from US to Mexicolist 2 of 4World Baseball Classic: Venezuela defeats Italy, sets up final against USlist 3 of 4UCL: Real Madrid hoping to knock out Man City for a third straight yearlist 4 of 4AFC has received no notification from Iran on World Cup withdrawalend of listThere was speculation that Pakistan players involved at the inaugural Hundred auction in London would be subject to a “shadow ban”, with IPL-affiliated teams refusing to bid for them.That did not come to pass, but Sunrisers Leeds — from the same group that controls IPL team Sunrisers-hyderabad" class="entity-link entity-organization" data-entity-id="44181" data-entity-type="organization">Sunrisers Hyderabad — faced a fierce social media backlash after last week clinching a deal for Abrar, paying 190,000 pounds ($252,000) for his services.Former India captain Gavaskar, 76, launched a blistering attack in a weekend column for the Indian newspaper Mid-Day.“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,” he wrote.“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.”Three other Hundred franchises — MI London, Manchester Super Giants, and Southern Brave — are at least partly owned by companies that control IPL teams.Usman Tariq, the only other Pakistani player bought in auction, was picked up by American-backed Birmingham Phoenix.