Kavya Maran, co-owner and manager of SunRisers Leeds (Photo: Pankaj Nangia/Getty Images) NEW DELHI: Pakistan spinner Abrar Ahmed was bought by SunRisers Leeds for £190,000 at the Hundred Player Auction 2026 on Thursday, ending speculation that teams associated with the Indian Premier League (IPL) could avoid signing Pakistani players. Co-owned by Kavya Maran, the franchise competed strongly in the bidding process and beat Trent Rockets to secure the enigmatic spinner.Earlier in the auction, Usman Tariq became the first Pakistani player to be selected when Birmingham Phoenix signed him for £140,000.
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However, several other Pakistani stars did not find buyers. Fast bowler Haris Rauf and all-rounders Shadab Khan and Saim Ayub remained unsold at the time of writing.Meanwhile, Pakistan’s ODI captain Shaheen Shah Afridi has already withdrawn from the auction before the bidding started. The ECB confirmed that Quinton de Kock, Sunil Narine, AM Ghazanfar and Peter Siddle have also withdrawn. The likely reason was scheduling clashes with the Caribbean Premier League (CPL) and other international commitments.After Afridi’s withdrawal, 13 Pakistani players remained available in the men’s auction pool. The situation drew attention following speculation that franchises with IPL links might shy away from picking Pakistani players.In response to the debate, the ECB and the eight franchises issued a joint statement that the selection would be based on the “performance, availability and needs of each team”.Pakistan also finished with a disappointing result in the women’s auction held a day earlier. None of the Pakistani players were selected. Muneeba Ali, Diana Baig, Sadia Iqbal and captain Fatima Sana all entered the auction with a base price of £15,000 but received no bids.
