SunRisers Leeds’ decision to sign Pakistan spinner Abrar Ahmed at the The Hundred 2026 auction has sparked a major debate. Former India captain Sunil Gavaskar strongly criticised the franchise’s Indian ownership.

Writing in his column for Mid-Day, Gavaskar questioned the judgment of the franchise owners, arguing that Indian entities should refrain from signing Pakistani players given the strained relations between the two nations. In his view, the controversy surrounding the move was inevitable.

“The furore created by the acquisition of a Pakistani player by the Indian owner of a franchise in The Hundred is hardly surprising,” Gavaskar wrote. He pointed out that since the 2008 Mumbai attacks, Indian franchises have deliberately avoided signing Pakistani cricketers in the Indian Premier League. According to him, the reasoning behind that stance remains relevant even when Indian-owned teams operate in overseas competitions.

Gavaskar’s argument focused on what he described as the financial implications of such signings. He suggested that payments made to Pakistani players could indirectly contribute to funding activities hostile to India through taxation.

“Although belated, the realisation that the fees that they pay to a Pakistani player, who then pays income tax to his government, which buys arms and weapons, indirectly contributes to the deaths of Indian soldiers and civilians, is making Indian entities refrain from even considering having Pakistani artistes and sportspersons,” he wrote. “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. It’s as simple as that.”

The former opener acknowledged that the team’s head coach, Daniel Vettori, who hails from New Zealand, might not fully grasp the sensitivities surrounding the issue. However, he insisted that the responsibility ultimately rests with the franchise’s ownership.

“Daniel Vettori, the coach of the team in The Hundred who hails from New Zealand, may not understand this simple dynamic and so may have wanted some Pakistani players in his team, but surely the owner should have had an understanding of the situation and discouraged the purchase,” Gavaskar wrote. “Is winning a tournament in a format that no other country plays in much more important than Indian lives?”

SunRisers Leeds secured Abrar Ahmed for £190,000 (approximately ₹2.34 crore) after outbidding Trent Rockets at the auction in London. The franchise is owned by the Sun Group, led by Kalanithi Maran, with Kavya Maran representing the team at the auction table alongside Vettori.

The move marks a rare instance of a franchise with Indian ownership recruiting a Pakistani international, a decision that has produced sharply contrasting reactions. While the signing has been widely praised in the United Kingdom as a merit-based decision within The Hundred, it has triggered a strong backlash among many fans in India.

For Gavaskar, however, the debate extends beyond cricket. In his view, the issue is ultimately one of responsibility and principle, and he believes the franchise owners made the wrong call.