'Call Me': Lalit Modi’s cryptic X post for SunRisers Leeds owner Kavya Maran amid Abrar signing backlash

IPL founder Lalit Modi has sparked buzz over the ongoing controversy surrounding the signing of Pakistani off-spinner Abrar Ahmed by Kavya Maran’s SunRisers Leeds in The Hundred, who is also the owner of the IPL franchise SunRisers Hyderabad, by posting a cryptic message on his X handle. Taking to his social media, Modi indirectly, without naming anyone, asked the ‘concerned party’, Kavya’s The Hundred franchise here, to ‘call him’ up, as he knows a thing or two about managing optics and building empires.

Lalit Modi has been making headlines ever since inaugurating the cash-rich league in 2008, for good, bad and ugly reasons. While he now stays abroad and has cut all ties with the IPL, Modi has often been vocal about the whereabouts relating to the Indian Premier League; in this case, where the SRH owner and the franchise’s parent company have come under scrutiny over Abrar’s signing, Modi decided to intervene.

During the Hundred’s maiden auction, Kavya Maran, the CEO of Sun’s Group, which also owns the IPL franchise SRH, bought Pakistani spinner Abrar for £190,000 (approx. INR 2.34 crore), receiving massive backlash over this. The franchise’s X handle has not only been temporarily suspended over the matter, but has also caught Lalit Modi’s attention.

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“Investing 2.34 crore on a Pakistani player when the fans are already on edge? I know a thing or two about managing optics and building empires. Call me,” Lalit Modi’s cryptic social media post read.

Meanwhile, following the 26/11 attacks on the Taj Hotel in Mumbai and considering the countless fallout on the diplomatic fronts afterwards, the BCCI has banned Pakistani players in the IPL despite them featuring in the maiden edition in 2008. Although Pakistan toured India for a short white-ball series in 2012/13, the two countries have also cut all bilateral ties since, only playing in the ICC and ACC events.

Abrar’s signing, however, sparked quite an outrage back home, with cricket veteran Sunil Gavaskar tearing into the franchise’s decision to pick a Pakistani player. Gavaskar criticised this move by calling it an indirect way of funding Pakistan’s military, which drew sharp reaction across the cricket community.

On the other hand, telecomasia.net reports that the sources close to the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) claim that Abrar is unfazed by such a backlash, whereas the franchise’s team coach Daniel Vettori also sounded content with the off-spinner’s signing.

“The noise on Abrar’s signing is not unexpected, but he is not losing sleep over the uproar,” sources close to the Pakistan Cricket Board said.

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