Kaviya Maran Refuses To Speak On Sunrisers Leeds' Signing Of Pakistani Player

Sunrisers Leeds owner Kaviya Maran refused to comment on the issue surrounding Pakistani players in the Hundred after her franchise’s decision to sign spinner Abrar Ahmed sparked controversy in India.

Maran, who is also the CEO of IPL franchise Sunrisers Hyderabad and SA20 side Sunrisers Eastern Cape, was at the auction table when her team bid for Abrar. The Sunrisers went head-to-head with the Trent Rockets in a long bidding war and ended up signing him for £190,000 (approx INR 2.45 crore on current rates).

The move broke the norm of Indian franchises worldwide carrying a ‘shadow ban’ on Pakistani cricketers due to the frosty India-Pakistan relations, which have been at an all-time low since the Pahalgam terror attack. It triggered a huge backlash

in India, with Maran even receiving death threats online.

In an interview with The Telegraph, Maran only said that she was happy with both the men’s and women’s squads. The English paper noted the Indian businesswoman did not speak on the issue around Abrar due to its ‘political sensitivity’.

“We are really happy with both our squads; we have so many bases covered,” Maran said.

Sunrisers Hyderabad were the only IPL franchise to acquire a Hundred team outright after Yorkshire sold its 51 per cent stake, alongside the ECB’s 49 per cent share. Teams like Mumbai Indians and Lucknow Super Giants also acquired majority stakes.

This takeover of several Hundred franchises by Indian companies had led to reports that the same unsaid ban would extend to the English competition. In the IPL, Pakistani players don’t even make it to the auction.

But the ECB was proactive in cutting the talk out, especially after threats of protest from some Pakistani-English cricketers, and all eight franchises responded with a joint statement reaffirming their commitment to an inclusive, non-discriminatory competition.

Apart from Abrar, only Usman Tariq found buyers in the men’s auction, going to Birmingham Phoenix, which is jointly owned by the Warwickshire County Cricket Club (51%) and US investment firm Knighthead Capital Management (49%). No female Pakistani cricketer got picked up at the Hundred women’s auction, but Phoenix later signed the talismanic all-rounder Faima Sana.