Sunil Gavaskar has said that Indian franchise owners should avoid signing Pakistani players for teams they own in overseas cricket leagues. His remarks come in the wake of Pakistan spinner Abrar Ahmed being picked up by Sunrisers Leeds for over Rs 2 crore at the The Hundred auction. The franchise is owned by the Sun TV Network, the Chennai-based media group that also runs Sunrisers Hyderabad in the Indian Premier League.
Gavaskar didn’t call it a mistake of cricket judgment but a matter of national security in his column for the Mid-Day newspaper.
The ‘Tax-to-Treasury pipeline
Gavaskar’s primary argument is based on fiscal flow rather than individual player politics. His logic follows a specific “pipeline” that most sports analysts rarely discuss. According to Gavaskar, an Indian-owned entity pays a professional fee to a Pakistani player. Under international tax laws, a significant portion of that fee is paid as income tax to the player’s home government.
Since 2008
Gavaskar argued that these tax revenues fund the state’s treasury, which in turn finances military spending. By this logic, he concluded that the funds are indirectly used to purchase “arms and weapons” that contribute to the deaths of Indian soldiers and civilians.
“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,” the 76-year-old wrote.
The Indian identity of global subsidiaries
A major point of contention in this saga is whether an Indian owner’s responsibility changes when they operate in a foreign land (like the UK). The former India captain notes that foreign coaches (like Daniel Vettori) prioritise “winning a tournament” and tactical needs.
The precedent of the 2008 mumbai attacks
Gavaskar reminds that the shadow ban on Pakistani players in the IPL wasn’t an arbitrary decision, it was a direct response to the November 2008 attacks. By signing a player in 2026, he suggests that a franchise is essentially “undoing” a collective stance taken by Indian cricket for nearly two decades.
Indian Responsibility
He framed the current signing not as a sign of “moving on” but as a disregard for the historical and security-based reasons for the original ban.
The pressure of demonstrations and disapproval
Gavaskar warned that such a signing could lead to protests by the Indian diaspora in the UK and fans back home. Fans showing their disapproval by staying away from the stadium, despite the presence of star players.