Abrar Ahmed and Kavya Maran (PTI/IPL Photo) NEW DELHI: The signing of Pakistan spinner Abrar Ahmed by Sunrisers Leeds in The Hundred has sparked online debate, but the BCCI has distanced itself through its vice-president Rajeev Shukla. The Sun Group-owned franchise, which also runs Sunrisers Hyderabad in the IPL, bought Abrar for £190,000 (around Rs 2.34 crore) during Thursday’s auction after a bidding war with Trent Rockets. The tournament will be held from July 21 to August 16.
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BCCI vice-president Rajeev Shukla has made it clear that the Indian board does not control decisions made in overseas leagues. “It does not concern us. It is not the IPL. What happens in The Hundred or other overseas leagues, we have nothing to do with it,” Shukla told PTI.Abrar’s signing sparked backlash on social media and Sunrisers Leeds X’s account was briefly suspended. The reaction reflects the long-term absence of Pakistani players from the IPL since 2009, when deteriorating diplomatic relations between India and Pakistan effectively ended their participation in the league.Sunrisers Leeds came under the control of the Sun Group last year after it bought a 49% stake from the England and Wales Cricket Board and the remaining 51% from Yorkshire for around £100m. Sunrisers CEO Kavya Maran attended the auction.Interestingly, Abrar was not the only Pakistani player selected in the auction. Mystery spinner Usman Tariq was previously bought by Birmingham Phoenix for £140,000, although that team has no IPL links.Despite the IPL ban, Pakistani players continue to feature in overseas leagues for teams linked to IPL owners. Recently, several Pakistani cricketers have played for Indian or co-owned franchises in overseas T20 leagues.Imad Wasim featured for the Abu Dhabi Knight Riders in the 2023–24 ILT20 and later for the Seattle Orcas in the 2024 and 2025 Major League Cricket, a team co-owned by the GMR Group Delhi Capitals. Zaman Khan also played for the Seattle Orcas in MLC 2024. In the same year, Mohammad Amir and Usman Tariq played for Trinbago Knight Riders in the CPL, a franchise owned by Kolkata Knight Riders.
