The Board of Control for Cricket in India has issued an official statement after Sunrisers Leeds signed Pakistan spinner Abrar Ahmed in The Hundred auction. Vice-president Rajeev Shukla clarified their stance on this player transfer and their limits in the England domestic tournament.
The franchise purchased the spinner for £190,000 during The Hundred auction on Thursday. Fans slammed team owner Kavya Maran on social media for ignoring national sentiments to secure the bowler. The team management has not responded to the fans yet.
“We Have Nothing to Do with…” - Rajeev Shukla on Abrar Ahmed's Signing
Speaking to the news agency on Friday, Rajeev Shukla clarified that the BCCI cannot intervene in franchise decisions. He stated that overseas leagues operate outside their direct jurisdiction and control. The board only monitors tournaments played within the country.
“Our domain is limited to the IPL. We have nothing to do with what they do in a league outside that. How can we interfere with them signing a player in a foreign league? That’s up to them. It’s purely up to the franchise that has bought a team outside India. If they are taking some player outside India in that league, we are least concerned because, in IPL, there is no such player," Shukla told ANI on Friday.
Sunrisers Ignore the Shadow Ban Rumours
Four teams in the English tournament received massive investment from Indian owners last year. There had been rumors about a potential shadow ban on Pakistani cricketers. It was reported that Indian-owned teams would completely avoid signing them due to the political relations between the two countries.
The Sunrisers management put these rumors to rest during the bidding process. Head coach Daniel Vettori and Kavya Maran placed the winning bid for Abrar Ahmed after missing out on Adil Rashid at the auction table.
The franchise acquired the spinner as the coaching staff stated they needed a reliable spin option for their squad.
Past Controversies Involving Neighboring Countries
The online reaction led to the Sunrisers Leeds social media account getting suspended. The cricket board did actually intervene in a similar issue earlier this year.
The BCCI instructed the Kolkata Knight Riders to release Bangladesh bowler Mustafizur Rahman from their squad. The board took that step following massive political unrest. The intervention happened due to serious tensions in the neighboring country.
As a result, the Bangladesh team refused to travel to India for the recent tournament. Scotland officially replaced them in the T20 World Cup, which the Indian squad won at home. The tournament proceeded smoothly despite the sudden schedule changes and team replacements..