Sunrisers Leeds paid 190,000 pounds for Abrar Ahmed in The Hundred 2026 auction.
Sunrisers Leeds is co-owned by Sun Group’s Kavya Maran, who also owns IPL’s Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) franchise. Leeds paid £190,000 (approximately INR 2.35 crore) in the recent The Hundred Men’s 2026 auction.
This decision received criticism from Indian cricket fans, given the strained diplomatic ties between India and Pakistan, especially after the Pahalgam terror attack in 2025.
Gavaskar had said that the decision to buy a Pakistani cricketer indirectly contributes to the death of Indian soldiers and civilians.
Although belated, the realization that the fees that they pay to a Pakistani player, who then pays income tax to his government, which buys arms and weapons, indirectly contribute to the deaths of Indian soldiers and civilians,s is making Indian entities refrain from even considering having Pakistani artists and sportspersons.
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," Gavaskar had written in his column on Mid-day.
However, Azeem Rafiq, who played 39 FC, 35 List-A, and 95 T20s for Yorkshire in county cricket and also featured in CLT20, labelled Gavaskar’s statement as ‘vile’ and called the Indian batting legend’s words ridiculous and condemnable.
“This is absolutely ridiculous & should be condemned ... How are these comments acceptable? I don’t care how many runs you have scored, vile stuff from Gavaskar,” Rafiq posted on X.
However, Azeem Rafiq has now received intense backlash from the Indian fans, who have pointed out how he remained silent when Pakistan players made gestures towards the Indian team and fans during the Asia Cup 2025.
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