The IPL 2026 is all set to kick off with Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) taking on Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) in the opening match at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru on Saturday, March 28. But before the season begins, SRH has found itself in an unexpected controversy.
It all started after the Sunrisers Hyderabad owner Kavya Maran picked Pakistan spinner Abrar Ahmed for The Hundred, where she also owns Sunrisers Leeds. She signed Abrar for 190,000 pounds (around ₹2.34 crore), and as soon as the news went viral, the franchise faced massive backlash across social media platforms.
Several Indian fans started slamming the Sunrisers group for signing a Pakistani player to their overseas team in The Hundred. The franchise has a massive fan base, so every small thing becomes a big topic. With the IPL season just about to start, the noise has intensified again.
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Ahead of the IPL 2026 season opener, the former India women's captain and well-known broadcaster Anjum Chopra has reacted to the controversy and impact of Kavyan Maran and SRH facing anger from the fans on social media for signing Abrar for the 100-ball tournament.
She believes that the controversy won’t shake the Orange Army players, as their job is to perform, not to get distracted by social media fights. Chopra also slammed the critics by saying that Abrar Ahmed isn’t coming to India at all, and it is a UK league, not the IPL, so there is no point in making drama.
Anjum Chopra defends SRH, says controversy won’t affect team
Anjum Chopra was quoted as saying by NDTV: “If you are talking about players like Ishan Kishan or Abhishek Sharma, they won't be affected by what is happening on social media. They are extremely focused on their game and are here only to perform. It is understandable that a team's environment can be impacted if the owner is facing a tough time, but at the end of the day, a player's job is to perform.”
She further said, “Abrar Ahmed is not coming to India. Whatever happens will take place in the UK league, so we should not be concerned about a tournament being held overseas. As far as controversies are concerned, everything becomes a big topic these days because of social media.”
RCB, SRH miss key players but M Chinnaswamy ready for fireworks
Meanwhile, the IPL 2026 opener will be a blockbuster clash, as Royal Challengers Bengaluru and Sunrisers Hyderabad will enter the game with some of the world’s biggest power-hitters. With the Chinnaswamy pitch expected to be a batting paradise, fans can witness a six-fest.
RCB looks loaded with firepower, and Virat Kohli leads the charge. Apart from the RCB icon, they also have Phil Salt, Rajat Patidar, Tim David, Jitesh Sharma, and Venkatesh Iyer to light up the stadium.
On the other hand, SRH are equally dangerous with Abhishek Sharma, Travis Head, Ishan Kishan, Liam Livingstone, Heinrich Klaasen, and young Aniket Verma at the rank.
However, SRH will begin the season without their regular captain Pat Cummins, who is still recovering from the injury that kept him out of the T20 World Cup 2022. In his absence, Ishan Kishan will lead the Hyderabad side.
Josh Hazlewood will miss RCB’s start of this season, while Yash Dayal has been ruled out entirely due to a legal battle off the field.
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