IPL 2026 is all set to begin on Saturday, March 28 with Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) and Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) in the opening match at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru. But before the season has even started, SRH have found themselves in an unexpected controversy.
It all started when Sunrisers Hyderabad owner Kavya Maran selected Pakistan spinner Abrar Ahmed for The Hundred, where she also owns Sunrisers Leeds. They signed Abrar for £190,000 (approximately ₹2.34 crore), and as the news went viral, the franchise faced a massive backlash on social media platforms.
Will Kavya Maran and SRH face criticism for signing Abrar Ahmed in IPL 2026?
Many Indian fans started criticizing the Sunrisers group for signing a Pakistani player in their overseas team in The Hundred. This franchise has a huge fan base, so every little thing becomes a big topic. The IPL season is about to start, so the hustle and bustle has intensified once again.
Also read: Will IPL be telecast? Bangladesh government issues major update on IPL broadcast ban
Ahead of the opening of the IPL 2026 season, former India women’s captain and renowned broadcaster Anjum Chopra has reacted to the controversy and impact of Kavyan Maran and SRH facing the wrath of fans on social media for signing Abrar for the 100-ball tournament.
He believes the controversy will not shake the Orange Army players as their job is to perform and not be distracted by social media feuds. Chopra also took the critics to task and said that Abrar Ahmed is not coming to India and this is not IPL but a UK league, so there is no point in doing drama.
Anjum Chopra defends SRH, says controversy will not affect team
NDTV quoted Anjum Chopra as saying, “If you are talking about players like Ishan Kishan or Abhishek Sharma, they will not be affected by whatever is happening on social media. They are extremely focused on their game and are only here to perform. It is understandable that the atmosphere of the team can be affected if the team owner is facing tough times, but at the end of the day, a player’s job is to perform.”
He further said, “Abrar Ahmed is not coming to India. Whatever happens will happen in the UK league, so we should not be worried about tournaments happening abroad. As far as controversies are concerned, everything becomes a big topic nowadays because of social media.”
RCB, SRH missing key players but M Chinnaswamy ready for fireworks
Meanwhile, the IPL 2026 opener will be a blockbuster encounter as Royal Challengers Bangalore and Sunrisers Hyderabad go into action with some of the biggest power-hitters in the world. With the Chinnaswamy pitch expected to be a batting paradise, fans can witness a six-figure fest.
RCB looks full of firepower and Virat Kohli is leading it. Apart from the RCB icons, they also have Phil Salt, Rajat Patidar, Tim David, Jitesh Sharma and Venkatesh Iyer to light up the stadium.
SRH, on the other hand, are equally dangerous with Abhishek Sharma, Travis Head, Ishan Kishan, Liam Livingstone, Heinrich Klaasen and youngster Aniket Verma.
However, SRH will start the season without their regular captain Pat Cummins, who is still recovering from the injury that has kept him out of the T20 World Cup 2022. In his absence, Ishan Kishan will lead the Hyderabad team.
Josh Hazlewood will not play for RCB at the start of this season, while Yash Dayal is out completely due to an off-field legal battle.
Also read: Yograj Singh makes sharp comment on Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma’s decision to take premature retirement
