Sunil Gavaskar Labels Fees To Pakistani Players ‘Blood Money’ After Abrar Ahmed Signing

Sunil Gavaskar called payments to Pakistani players ‘blood money’ while reacting to Sunrisers Leeds signing Pakistan spinner Abrar Ahmed in The Hundred auction.

Sunil Gavaskar criticised the decision of Sunrisers Leeds to sign Abrar Ahmed during The Hundred auction. The franchise secured the Pakistan spinner for £190,000, nearly ₹2.3 crore. The move triggered heavy backlash on social media.

The team is co-owned by Kavya Maran. Gavaskar stated that the reaction from fans was expected considering past tensions between India and Pakistan. He argued that payments made to Pakistani cricketers eventually become tax revenue for their government. The former cricketer also suggested such funds indirectly support military spending.

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“The furore created by the acquisition of a Pakistani player by the Indian owner of a franchise in The Hundred is hardly surprising. Ever since the Mumbai attacks in November 2008, Indian franchise owners have simply ignored Pakistani players for the IPL. 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,” Gavaskar wrote in his column for Mid-day.

“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. 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. Is winning a tournament in a format that no other country plays in much more important than Indian lives?” he added.

Notably, Sunrisers Leeds faced severe backlash online. Soon after the announcement, the team’s X account went offline for several hours before returning. For the unversed, Pakistan players have not participated in the IPL since the 2008 Mumbai terror attacks.