'I did not give money to any Pakistani commentator', why did Sunil Gavaskar get angry?

New Delhi. There was a lot of uproar when Indian Premier League franchise team owner Kavya Maran bought Pakistani cricketer Abrar Ahmed in The Hundred League played in England. After this, a statement by former Indian captain Sunil Gavaskar was everywhere. Now he has denied any such thing. Gavaskar has shown double standards and hypocrisy by criticizing Sunrisers Leads for signing Pakistan spinner Abrar Ahmed in The Hundred 2026 auction.

In his statement, Gavaskar had criticized that franchise and said that they were indirectly funding the 'deaths of Indian soldiers and civilians'. Gavaskar believes that the amount received in the auction goes to the Pakistani government as tax. This provides funds to anti-India terrorists. On this, questions were raised on social media that why Gavaskar works in ICC and Asian Cricket Council (ACC) tournaments, while Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) and government indirectly get funds from there too.

Gavaskar told Mid-Day, “Yes, I have been on the commentary panel of ICC and ACC. The revenue that comes from ICC and ACC goes to all the participating countries. To my knowledge, not from any Indian organization. I don't understand how you can say that I am a contributor. I do not pay anything to any commentator, whether Indian or from any other country.”

Some also questioned why Gavaskar did not raise the issue earlier when teams with Indian owners were paying Pakistani players in other leagues. Imad Wasim has played for Abu Dhabi Knight Riders, who are the owners of Kolkata Knight Riders. He and Zaman Khan also played for the Seattle Orcas, which is backed by GMR Group. Whereas, Mohammad Aamir and Usman Tariq have played for Trinbago Knight Riders.

Gavaskar said, “I don't watch CPL, ILT20 or SA20, so I don't know who is playing for whom. If Indian owners are paying Pakistani players, then hopefully they stop doing that. I don't know about other sports what they are doing. I just pray that Indian people stop paying Pakistanis. If you have noticed, it has never been the other way around for decades, if at all.”