Chorus grows to ban Sunrisers from IPL for hiring Pak players

By Prakash Bhandari

Cricket is so engrossing that everyone talks about it before a big match, during the match and the analysis is done even after the match is over. In recent years, the advent of social media has given the cricket buffs in all the cricket playing nations to freely express their views on a wide range of subjects from team’s selection to ground and wicket conditions.

There is an outcry in social media and other platforms over Sunrisers Hyderabad, an IPL franchise, who also operate in England under the name of Sunrisers Leeds and is a franchisee owner of the Hundred, a 100-ball cricket format played under the banner of the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB). 

Sunrisers Leeds signed the Pakistani players, mystery leg spinner Abrar Ahmed and Usman Tariq, to play in the Hundred league. Ever since the signing a wave of criticism and backlash appeared on social media with fans questioning the decision debating whether the team should  reconsider the move.

Sunrisers Leeds, and the co-owner Sun TV (owned by Kalanithi Maran operates not only in England but in South Africa also, under the name and style of Sunrisers Eastern Cape in South Africa’s SA20 league. As part of the 2025 Hundred sale the ECB gave Yorkshire County Cricket Club a 51 percent stake in the franchise with the remaining 49 percent sold in the auction process. 

Yorkshire County Cricket Club opted to sell for 100 million pounds its stake with the Sun TV Network Limited, acquiring 100 percent of the franchise and changing the name to Sunrisers Leeds. The team plays at Headingley Cricket ground, the home of Yorkshire cricket club Sunrisers Leeds, formerly known as Northern Superchargers.

Many supporters argued that signing a Pakistani player would create controversy, while others defended the decision on cricketing ground citing the ECB rules that prevent any franchise from discriminating against any player on the ground of his nationality The  two  Pakistani  players were bought in the bidding war with another franchisee  Trent Rockets for GBP 190,000 (Rs 2.34 crore approximately). Thus, Sunrisers Leeds became the first Indian-owned company to sign a Pakistani player since 2009 when the Pakistani players played in the IPL.

Though, the outrage in the social media against Abrar is rooted in the alleged social media posts by Abrar last year, during a period of heightened tension between India and Pakistan because of Operation Sindoor. Abrar mocked India with having a tea picture, and he used to mock Indian players with unwanted celebrations in the Asia Cup played in Dubai.

Many fans accused him of mocking the Indian armed forces leading to calls for a boycott of the Sunrisers brand. Netizens in this unprecedented outcry argue that handing the lucrative contract to Pakistani players who had publicly disparaged Indian security forces is showing the franchise owner’s way of ignoring national sentiment.

Following the outrage, the Sunrisers’ X account was suspended for sometime, but the account is restored now.

Sunrisers head coach Daniel Vittori said the they were targeting on the England spinner Adil Rashid, but as Adil was picked up by other franchisee we looked for an alternative as Usman Tariq , the other Pakistani player was to play the IPLRashid.He said the players were chosen on merit and performance and no other criterion.

There is growing demand in the social media to ban Sunrisers from playing in the IPL for hiring Pakistani players.

But sources in the Pakistan cricket Board (PCB) said that Abrar is unlikely to play for the Sunriser as during the Hundred league, Pakistan will be engaged in a two-Test series and the dates clash with the Hundred league dates and Abrar will be asked to do the national duty above all.

But the BCCI’s Vice President Rajeev Shukla has come out with the BCCI stand by saying that BCCI’s domain is limited to IPL only. The BCCI is not concerned with other leagues organised by various nations.

“It is clearly up to the franchisee that has bought a team outside India if they are taking some players somewhere outside India,” added Shukla.

Interestingly, apart from Abrar Ahmed and Usman Tariq, Pakistani players Imad Wasim was hired by Indian company GMR Group who owns Delhi Capitals to play for its team Seattle in the MLC and Knight Riders in IPL T20. Similarly, two other players, Zaman Khan and Usman Khan, also played for the Indian owned companies in US and in Gulf leagues.

Former India captain Sunil Gavaskar lashed out at Sunrisers decision to sign Pakistan's Abrar Ahmed in The Hundred Auction.

"Surely the owner should have had an understanding of the situation and discouraged the purchase. Is winning a tournament in a format that no other country plays in much more important than Indian lives?" Gavaskar wrote in his column on Mid-Day.

Gavaskar explained that his earnings will be taxed, which would then be used to fund violence against Indian soldiers and civilians.

In cricketing circles, it is debated that the national interest is paramount and when the Bangladeshi fast bowler Mustafizur Rahman was banned  to play in the IPL by the BCCI, the franchise Mumbai Indians dropped him from the team under the directives of the BCCI as it was in the national interest.

But for clarity, the BCCI should lay down rules on hiring players and they would have a say in all such matters where Indian owned companies having ownership or stakes in foreign companies should take a clearance from the BCCI.