BCCI breaks silence on Sunrisers' Abrar Ahmed signing: 'Not our domain'

New Delhi (The Uttam Hindu): Controversy has erupted after Sunrisers Leeds, a franchise affiliated with Indian Premier League team Sunrisers Hyderabad, included Pakistani spinner Abrar Ahmed in its squad for England's popular cricket competition, The Hundred. Indian fans on social media have expressed strong displeasure over the decision, with some even calling for a boycott of the team in the upcoming IPL season.

Abrar Ahmed has frequently commented on issues related to India on social media. Consequently, many cricket fans have questioned the Indian-owned franchise's purchase of him for foreign leagues. The Board of Control for Cricket in India has also responded to the matter. BCCI Vice President Rajeev Shukla clarified that this decision is not related to the IPL, but rather to foreign leagues, and therefore, the board cannot interfere.

Rajiv Shukla told the news agency that this is not a matter within the IPL's jurisdiction. He added that the franchise made this decision for an overseas competition, so they will be the ones to decide on it. It is being reported that Sunrisers Leeds added Abrar Ahmed to their team for approximately ₹2.34 crore in the auction for The Hundred on March 12th. Following this, the team faced criticism on social media. Meanwhile, on March 13th, the official account of Sunrisers Leeds appeared suspended on X. Upon opening the account, a message appeared stating that the account had been suspended for violating the platform's rules. However, it was unclear which rule violations led to this action.

It's worth noting that Indian media group Sun TV Network acquired full ownership of the Leeds franchise in The Hundred tournament last year. Previously, the team was known as the Northern Superchargers. The company acquired this stake from the England and Wales Cricket Board and Yorkshire.