BCCI Vice President Rajeev Shukla, while talking about the controversy over the purchase of Pakistani leg-spinner Abrar Ahmed by Sunrisers Leads in ‘The Hundred 2026’ auction, said that the board has no right to interfere in it. Speaking to ANI on March 13, Shukla said, “This is not in our jurisdiction (IPL)… They have done this for some foreign league. They have to take a decision on this; we cannot do anything.”
The purchase came during the first men’s ‘The Hundred’ player auction held in London on March 12. Sunrisers Leeds—which is wholly owned by India’s Sun Group (affiliated with the IPL’s Sunrisers Hyderabad)—overwhelmed Trent Rockets to acquire Abrar for £190,000 (~₹2.34 crore/US$255,000). This was the first time that an Indian-owned ‘The Hundred’ franchise signed a Pakistani player; By doing this, he proved wrong the speculations being made before the auction in which it was being said that due to geo-political tensions, distance could be maintained from Pakistani players.
Co-owner Kavya Maran faced massive backlash on social media following the move; Critics cited Abrar’s alleged past posts in which he mocked the Indian Army (for example, referring to the 2019 Abhinandan incident in the context of a 2025 “Operation Sindoor”). After this, demands for boycott of Sunrisers Hyderabad started rising, and the X (Twitter) account of the franchise was suspended.
Despite reports of a possible ‘shadow ban’ on Pakistani players by IPL teams, the ECB and franchises insisted that players are selected based on their performance and the team’s needs. Abrar was the second Pakistani player to be bought (after Usman Tariq, who was bought by Birmingham Phoenix for £140,000); Many other players remained unsold.
Shukla reiterated BCCI’s limited jurisdiction over foreign leagues, and said such decisions have to be taken by the franchises themselves. Sunrisers coach Daniel Vettori made Abrar his priority after not being able to pick other spinners. This entire incident highlights the sensitivity that remains in India-Pakistan cricket relations, beyond the boundaries of IPL.
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