X Sunrisers Leeds’ account was suspended on Thursday, March 12, hours after they completed the much-discussed deal to sign Pakistan’s Abrar Ahmed during the Sto auction. The SunRisers franchise, which is owned by the Sun Group – an Indian media conglomerate headed by Kalanithi Maran – has been pushing hard for the signing. Pakistan spinner Abrar Ahmed and eventually secured his services for £190,000 (Rs 2.34 crore approx). Kavya Maran, CEO of the franchise and a key decision-maker, was present at the auction.
Kavya Maran was joined by head coach Daniel Vettori at the auction table at Piccadilly Lights in London on Thursday as SunRisers Leeds successfully overcame Trent Rockets to sign Abrar Ahmed. The team will be captained by England T20I captain Harry Brook.
The signing also marked a rare moment as it is the first time in several years that a franchise with ownership links to the Indian Premier League (IPL) has recruited a Pakistani cricketer. After that, the Indian fans slammed the Sunrisers franchise and called for a boycott of SRH in the IPL. Now unable to access Sunrisers Leeds account on X.
If someone tries to access the account, they will be met with the message: “Account suspended. X suspends accounts that violate X’s rules.”
At this time, there is no explanation from X as to why they have decided to suspend the account of the Sunrisers Leeds franchise.
WHY DID SUNRISERS GIVE RESPONSIBILITY FOR ABRAR SIGNING?
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Much of the backlash stems from a series of controversial posts by Abrar Ahmed It is believed to have been shared on social media in mid-2025. The posts appeared during a period of heightened tensions between India and Pakistan, with some Indian fans claiming the content appeared to mock the Indian armed forces.
When news of his signing broke, hashtags like #ShameOnSRH and #BoycottSunrisers quickly started trending on X. Many critics argued that by offering a high-value contract to a player accused of making such remarks, the franchise had overlooked public sentiment in favor of bolstering its squad.
The move comes after months of speculation suggesting that the four Indian franchises in The Hundred – SunRisers Leeds, MI London, Manchester Super Giants and Southern Brave – could quietly avoid picking Pakistani players. A similar pattern has been seen in leagues such as the SA20 in South Africa and the ILT20 in the United Arab Emirates, where teams associated with the Indian Premier League (IPL) owners traditionally do not sign cricketers from Pakistan.
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Published on:
13 March 2026 09:25 IST
