In the inaugural men’s The Hundred auction on Thursday, Kavya Maran’s franchise Sunrisers Leeds signed Pakistan leg-spinner Abrar Ahmed for £190,000 (around Rs 2.3 crore), a decision that sparked backlash from several Indian fans on social media.
Abrar became the first Pakistani international to be signed by an Indian-owned franchise in the tournament, a move that quickly triggered debate online.
The leg-spinner, who had entered the auction with a base price of £75,000, was picked up by Sunrisers Leeds after the franchise outbid Trent Rockets shortly before the lunch break during the auction.
Sunrisers Leeds is owned by Indian media conglomerate Sun TV Network, which recently completed the acquisition of the franchise previously known as Northern Superchargers. The conglomerate also owns Sunrisers Hyderabad in the Indian Premier League and Sunrisers Eastern Cape in the SA20.
Earlier reports had suggested that IPL franchise-owned teams might avoid bidding for Pakistan players. The early stages of Thursday’s auction appeared to support that expectation until Abrar was eventually signed.
No Pakistan player has featured in the IPL since 2009, and franchise owners who operate teams across global T20 leagues have generally avoided signing players from the country.
The ECB had earlier clarified that selections in the auction would be based solely on “cricketing performance, availability and the needs of each team.”
Social media erupts after Abrar Ahmed joins Sunrisers Leeds
Soon after the signing, several Indian supporters voiced their criticism on social media platform X.
One user wrote:
“Kavya Maran owned franchise picked Abrar Ahmed who mocked Abhinandan and Indian Army. Not watching a single match of SRH in IPL.”
Kavya Maran owned franchise picked, Abrar Ahmed who mocked Abhinandan and Indian Army.
Not watching a single match of SRH in IPL @SunRisers#TheHundredAuction pic.twitter.com/fpsk4rkhbL
— Not Your Coffee ☕ (@wacky_guy) March 12, 2026
Another user criticised the decision, writing:
“These dumbf**ks bankroll all these loss making adventures in foreign leagues, using the money they earn at IPL. It would have been still better if they had Usman Tariq, but they picked someone who openly mocked Indian army. They will pay. That’s why you need professionally run companies, to insulate it from the dumbfuckery of 2nd gen promoters.”
These dumbfucks bankroll all these loss making adventures in foreign leagues, using the money they earn at IPL. It would have been still better if they had Usman Tariq, but they picked someone who openly mocked Indian army. They will pay. That’s why you need professionally run… https://t.co/k0rsDCaaj7
— Gabbar (@GabbbarSingh) March 12, 2026
Abrar was the second Pakistan player sold in Thursday’s auction after Usman Tariq was bought by Birmingham Phoenix for £140,000. However, several other Pakistan players, including Saim Ayub, Haris Rauf and Shadab Khan, went unsold.
A third user commented:
“This was how Abrar Ahmed and his fellow porkis were mocking Abhinandan during Operation Sindoor and shameless SRH and Kavya Maran signed him @sunrisersleeds release him asap.”
This was how Abrar Ahmed and his fellow porkis were mocking Abhinandan during Operation Sindoor and shameless SRH and Kavya Maran signed him @sunrisersleeds release him asap. pic.twitter.com/COU8pMrPl1
— adi. (@Hurricanrana_27) March 12, 2026
Another post read:
“Shame! A player who mocked fighter pilot Abhinandan Varthaman has been picked by the Sunrisers franchise.”
SHAME SHAME SHAME!!!!
Player who was continuously mocking India on Mission Sindoor, and even he was making fun of fighter Pilot Abhinandan Varthaman for Cup of tea.
Sunrisers franchise bought him to their team and this is purely done to hurt the Sentiments of Indians. https://t.co/5lbgfBCWrw— Harpreet Singh (@lubana_honey06) March 12, 2026
Sunrisers Leeds, captained by Harry Brook and coached by Daniel Vettori, also picked up Ryan Rickelton, Zak Crawley, Matt Potts and Dan Lawrence during the early stages of the auction.
The 2026 edition of The Hundred will run from July 21 to August 16 and will feature 34 men’s and 34 women’s matches