Sunil Gavaskar says Abrar Ahmed’s signing ‘contributes to the death of Indians’

Former India captain Sunil Gavaskar said Sunrise Leeds’ signing of Pakistani player Abrar Ahmed “indirectly contributes to the killing of Indian soldiers and civilians”.

Gavaskar’s comments are the most prominent criticism leveled at the Sunrisers’ deal for Abrar at last week’s Hundred auction.

Leeds is owned by Sun Group, which is also the owner of the Sunrisers Hyderabad team in the Indian Premier League (IPL). Indian Premier League teams have not been allowed to sign Pakistani players since 2009 due to ongoing political tensions between the two countries.

By securing Abrar in the auction, the Sunrisers have allayed fears that the IPL’s 400 franchises will avoid signing Pakistani players.

There was some backlash towards Sunrisers on social media, followed by Gavaskar’s column in Hindi newspaper Mid-Day.

“The buzz created by the Indian owner of The Hundred franchise acquiring a Pakistani player is not surprising,” Gavaskar said.

“Since the November 2008 Mumbai attacks, Indian franchises have simply ignored Pakistani players in the Indian Premier League.

“Although belated, the realization that the fees they pay to a Pakistani player, who then pays income tax to his government which buys the arms, indirectly contributes to the deaths of Indian soldiers and civilians, makes Indian entities refrain from even thinking about the presence of Pakistani artistes and sportspersons.”

BBC Sport has contacted Gavaskar and Sunrisers Leeds. The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) declined to comment.

India and Pakistan were embroiled in a four-day military conflict in April last year following a deadly armed attack on tourists in Indian-administered Kashmir, further deteriorating their sporting ties.

The two countries have not met in a bilateral series since 2007 and now have a policy of not traveling to international tournaments hosted by the other. Teams refused to shake hands in recent international matches.

After signing Abrar, there was negative reaction to Sunrisers Leeds on social media. The team’s X account was temporarily suspended on Friday morning, though it was believed to be due to an unrelated technical issue.

Privately, senior figures in the Indian game believed the backlash would be limited to fans on social media and ease by the time Sunrisers Hyderabad take part in the new IPL season at the end of this month.