New Delhi: Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) vice-president Rajeev Shukla has clarified that the Indian cricket governing body has no say in the acquisition of Pakistan spinner Abrar Ahmed by franchise Sunrisers Leeds in the Hundred Auction, saying the move pertains to an overseas league and not the Indian Premier League (IPL).
Speaking on the matter, Shukla emphasised that the decision lies entirely with the franchise involved, as the signing and the matter are linked to a league outside India.
“Look, this is their own decision because this is not our league. This has not been done for the IPL; it has been done for a league outside India. It is entirely their own decision. There is some league in England for which they are doing this,” Shukla told IANS
The move to sign Abrar by the Indian-owned Sunrisers Leeds didn’t go down well with the fans, who took to X to criticise the team’s owner and the franchise, terming them anti-national.
Due to the backlash, the team’s X account was also suspended for a brief time, but now it has been restored.
Sun TV, which also owns Sunrisers Hyderabad and Sunrisers Eastern Cape, completed its acquisition of the franchise previously known as Northern Superchargers by buying a 49 per cent stake from the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) and the remaining 51 per cent from Yorkshire for about 100 million pounds last year.
Earlier reports suggested IPL franchise-owned teams would avoid bidding for Pakistan players, and the early stages of Thursday’s auction appeared to support that expectation till Abrar was picked.
No Pakistan player has featured in the Indian Premier League (IPL) since 2009, and IPL franchise owners who have invested in franchise T20 leagues worldwide have generally avoided signing cricketers from the country.
However, the ECB said last month that selections in the auction would be based solely on ‘cricketing performance, availability, and the needs of each team.’
Abrar was the second Pakistan player sold in the auction on Thursday morning after mystery spinner Usman Tariq was bought by Birmingham Phoenix for 140,000 pounds. Several other Pakistan players like Saim Ayub, Haris Rauf and Shadab Khan went unsold.
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