3 min readMar 16, 2026 04:44 PM IST Sunil Gavaskar has said that Indian franchise owners should refrain from acquiring Pakistan players in teams owned by them that play in leagues outside India. Gavaskar’s comments come after Pakistan spinner Abrar Ahmed was acquired by Sunrisers Leeds in The Hundred Auction. 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. “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 …