3 min readMar 17, 2026 04:40 PM IST
India batting legend Sunil Gavaskar drew criticism from former English cricketer, Azeem Rafiq, for his recent take on the signing of Pakistan players by Indian-owned teams in The Hundred 2026 auction last week.
In a column on Mid-Day, Gavaskar reflected on the Sunrisers Leeds franchise’s decision to sign up Pakistan mystery spinner Abrar Ahmed at the auction table last week for £190,000. Sunrisers are owned by the Chennai-based Sun TV Network, which also owns the Sunerisers Hyderabad in the IPL.
“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,” wrote Gavaskar in his column for Mid-Day.
Gavaskar added that the fees paid to the Pakistan cricketers could soon facilitate military operations in the country.
“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. 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,” wrote Gavaskar.
ALSO READ | Sunil Gavaskar says Indian franchises should refrain from buying Pakistan players
‘Vile stuff’
Responding to Gavaskar through social media on Tuesday, the Karachi-born Rafiq said the Indian veteran’s comments must be condemned.
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“This is absolutely ridiculous & should be condemned. How are these comments acceptable? I don’t care how many runs you have scored. Vile stuff from Gavaskar,” the former Yorkshire off-spinner wrote on X.
This is absolutely ridiculous & should be condemned ..
How are these comments acceptable? I don’t care how many runs you have scored
Vile stuff from Gavaskar https://t.co/sLYtUKmGnZ
— Azeem Rafiq (@AzeemRafiq30) March 16, 2026
“Has Gavasker boycotted commentating in any of the fixtures? Guess not..,” Rafiq wrote on a second post.
Following the signing of Abrar, Sunrisers Leeds head coach Daniel Vettori had said that the team management didn’t have any conversations about not buying Pakistan players. Vettori further that Abrar was one of the few players the franchise had zeroed in after missing out on veteran spinner Adil Rashid.
“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?” said Gavaskar.
BCCI vice-president Rajeev Shukla had also recently shared his perspective on the controversy over the Leeds-Abrar signing, adding that the Indian cricket board had no bearing in the decisions made by Indian-owned franchises in foreign leagues.
