BCCI Responds After Abrar Ahmed’s Signing by Sunrisers Leeds Creates Online Backlash
Rajeev Shukla, Vice-President of BCCI, said that the board will not interfere in Sunrisers Leeds’ decision to sign Pakistani spinner Abrar Ahmed, as it is the franchise’s decision.
March 13, 2026: The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has given its first official response after the controversy about Abrar Ahmed joining Sunrisers Leeds. The issue quickly spread on social media, and many fans reacted strongly to the signing. On March 13, BCCI Vice-President Rajeev Shukla said that the board has no control over decisions made by teams in foreign leagues.
Abrar Ahmed, a 27-year-old spinner from Pakistan, was signed for £190,000 (around ₹2.34 crore) in the The Hundred auction. Some fans in India criticized the decision because of his past comments about the Indian Armed Forces. However, Rajeev Shukla made it clear that the BCCI cannot interfere, because the signing is not related to the Indian Premier League (IPL). He said the final decision and responsibility belong to the franchise.
#WATCH | Delhi | On Sunrisers Leeds signing Pakistan spinner Abrar Ahmed for the The Hundred 2026 season, BCCI Vice President Rajeev Shukla says, "...Our domain is limited to IPL, we are not concerned by what is happening in other leagues...It is clearly upto the franchise that… pic.twitter.com/ppfmbxN1w3
— ANI (@ANI) March 13, 2026
Historic Signing and Growing Controversy
This signing is important because Abrar Ahmed is the first Pakistani international player to join an Indian-owned team in The Hundred. The team is owned by Sun TV Network and led by CEO Kavya Maran. The Sun Group bought the Leeds franchise last year after purchasing shares from the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) and Yorkshire County Cricket Club. The group already owns Sunrisers Hyderabad in the IPL and Sunrisers Eastern Cape in the SA20 league.
The decision created strong reactions online. Many people criticized Kavya Maran and the franchise because of past comments linked to Abrar Ahmed during Operation Sindoor. Reports from Republic World and Hindustan Times said that the official X (Twitter) account of Sunrisers Leeds was suspended after the controversy. So far, the team management, including head coach Daniel Vettori, has not released any official statement about the issue.
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