Mumbai, Mar 14: Cricket fans erupted in debate after Sunrisers Leeds—run by IPL’s Sunrisers Hyderabad owners—snapped up Pakistan’s mystery spinner Abrar Ahmed for GBP 190,000 (Rs 2.34 crore) at The Hundred auction, but BCCI vice-president Rajeev Shukla shrugged it off as no big deal for Indian cricket.
“It’s not the IPL. What happens in The Hundred or other overseas leagues, we have nothing to do with it,” Shukla said Friday, downplaying the first-ever signing of a Pakistani by an Indian-owned team since tensions halted such moves post-2009.
Sun Group, fresh off a GBP 100 million takeover of the former Northern Superchargers, bid fiercely against Trent Rockets. CEO Kavya Maran waved the paddle herself, but the move sparked backlash—Leeds’ X account even got briefly suspended amid fan fury. Abrar joined Usman Tariq (to Birmingham Phoenix) as the second Pakistani sold, with The Hundred set for July 21-August 16.
While IPL teams steer clear of Pakistani talent, Shukla’s stance highlights the divide: global leagues play by their rules, leaving BCCI focused on home turf.
