“This is Indian blood money…”; Sunil Gavaskar angered by purchase of Pakistani player, criticism fired at Kavya Maran

By Samira Vishwas On Mar 17, 2026

“This is Indian blood money…”
Sunil Gavaskar was furious over the purchase of the Pakistani player
Criticism fired at Kavya Maran

Sunil Gavaskar slams Kavya Maran: In the auction of ‘The Hundred’ cricket league in England, ‘Sunrisers Leeds’ team has bought Pakistani spinner Abrar Ahmed for 1.90 lakh pounds (about Rs. 2.34 crores). This purchase has caused a wave of anger in India, India’s greatest cricketer Sunil Gavaskar He owns Sun Group Kavya Maran And the franchise has been heavily criticized. “Is winning a tournament trophy bigger than Indian life?” Gavaskar has asked such an angry question.

Criticism on Kavya Maran and Sun Group

Sunrisers Leeds is owned by the Sun Group, which also owns the IPL team Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH). CEO Kavya Maran herself was present during the auction. In his column in ‘Mid-Day’, Gavaskar expressed his anger at an Indian-owned team spending crores of rupees on a Pakistani player against the background of strained India-Pakistan relations and Pakistan-sponsored terrorism.

MASSIVE STATEMENT
Sunil Gavaskar Said That Pakistani Player Salary Indirectly Contributing To Harm India pic.twitter.com/02oBHD4r5M
— Incognito Cricket (@Incognitocric) March 16, 2026

“This is Indian blood money” – Gavaskar

Sunil Gavaskar has raised very serious issues in his article. He says “When an Indian owner pays crores of rupees to a Pakistani player, a large part of it goes to the Pakistan government in the form of tax. The same money can be used for anti-India activities and purchase of arms.” Incidents like the 2008 Mumbai attack, 2019 Pulwama and the recent 2025 Pahalgam attack have left Indians feeling vulnerable. In such circumstances, giving financial support to Pakistani players is an insult to the sacrifices of Indian soldiers and citizens.

The role of coaches is also questioned

The head coach of Sunrisers Leeds is Daniel Vettori. According to Gavaskar, Vettori, being a foreigner, would not understand the sensitive sentiments of India. However, the Indian owners should have been aware of this. “Is winning the title of a league with only a few countries worth more than the lives of Indian soldiers?” He has asked such a question to Sun Group.

Rage on social media and technical barriers

After the purchase of Abrar Ahmed, the official ‘X’ (Twitter) account of Sunrisers Leeds was heavily criticized by Indians. After this protest, the social media accounts of the team were closed for some time. After the situation calmed down, they became active again. Coach Vettori has added fuel to the fire by revealing that he was also eyeing another Pakistani spinner, Usman Tariq. Due to Gavaskar’s statement, cricket is now in the world and once again the ‘nationalism vs cricket’ debate has been ignited on social media, Kavya Maran’s decision is being questioned.