Abrar controversy: List of Pakistani players playing for Indian team

New Delhi: Sunrisers Leeds’ signing of Pakistan spinner Abrar Ahmed for the hundred-plus match sparked controversy online, but the BCCI through its vice-president Rajeev Shukla distanced itself. The franchise, owned by Sun Group, which also runs Sunrisers Hyderabad in the IPL, bought Abrar for 1.9 lakh pounds (roughly Rs. 23.4 crore) at Thursday’s auction after a bidding war with Trent Rockets. The competition will be held from July 21st to August 16th.

BCCI vice-president Rajeev Shukla made it clear that the Indian board does not control decisions in overseas leagues. “It has nothing to do with us. This is not the IPL. What happens in the Hundred or other overseas leagues, we have nothing to do with it,” Shukla told PTI.Abrar’s signing sparked a backlash on social media, with Sunrisers Leeds X’s account briefly suspended. The reaction reflects the long absence of Pakistani players from the IPL since 2009, when a deterioration in diplomatic relations between India and Pakistan effectively resulted in them no longer participating in the IPL.Sunrisers Leeds was controlled by Sunrisers last year after buying a 49% stake from the England and Wales Cricket Board and the remaining 51% from Yorkshire for around £100m. Sunrisers CEO Kavya Maran was present at the auction.Interestingly, Abrar was not the only Pakistani player selected in the auction. Mystery spinner Usman Tariq Was earlier bought by Birmingham Phoenix for £140,000, although the team has no IPL links.Despite being banned from the IPL, Pakistani players have continued to feature in overseas leagues for teams linked to the IPL owners. Recently, several Pakistani cricketers have played for Indian-owned or co-owned teams in overseas T20 leagues.Imad Wasim represented the Abu Dhabi Knight Riders in the ILT20 in 2023-24 and subsequently represented the Seattle Orcas in Major League Cricket in 2024 and 2025 (the team is co-owned by Delhi Capitals’ GMR Group). Zaman Khan also represented the Seattle Orcas in the 2024 MLC. In the same year, Mohammad Aamir and Usman Tariq played for Trinbago Knight Riders of the CPL, which is owned by Kolkata Knight Riders.