Abrar Ahmed and Kavya Maran NEW DELHI: Pakistan spinner Abrar Ahmed was signed by Sunrisers Leeds during the Hundred Auction 2026, but the move has sparked online backlash. After the franchise announced the signing of X, the post was flooded with negative comments, with some fans criticizing the IPL-affiliated team for picking a Pakistani player.
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Some posts even target Kavya Maran, the co-owner of Sunrisers Leeds, for accompanying the Pakistan bowler. Sunrisers Leeds, owned by the same group that runs Sunrisers Hyderabad in the Indian Premier League, have bought the 27-year-old leg-spinner for £190,000. Meanwhile, Birmingham Phoenix have picked up another Pakistani spinner, Usman Tariq, for £140,000.Before the auction, there was speculation that franchises associated with the IPL might avoid signing Pakistani cricketers due to political tensions between India and Pakistan. Players from Pakistan have not featured in the IPL since 2009 and the two nations have only faced each other in global tournaments.In a discussion earlier, the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) and the eight franchises clarified that selection will be made purely on merit. A joint statement said the selection would be based on the “performance, availability and needs of each team”.Despite the signing of Ahmed, several Pakistani players in the auction had a mixed result. Fast bowler Haris Rauf did not sell at his reserve price of £100,000, while star pacer Shaheen Shah Afridi pulled out before the auction began.Pakistan also struggled in the women’s auction held a day earlier where Fatima Sana and Sadia Iqbal failed to attract any bids.Elsewhere at the auction, London Spirit paid £390,000 for uncapped England all-rounder James Cole, while Welsh Fire spent a combined £540,000 on batsman Jordan Cox and former England captain Joe Root.The 2026 season of The Hundred, which includes both men’s and women’s tournaments, will begin on July 21 and run for four weeks.
