Sunrisers Leeds’ signing of Pakistan’s Abrar Ahmed sparks online outrage
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Sunrisers Leeds’ signing of Pakistan’s Abrar Ahmed sparks online outrage


Sunrisers Leeds’ signing of Pakistan’s Abrar Ahmed sparks online outrage

Pakistan’s Abrar Ahmed reacts during the 2026 ICC Men’s T20 Cricket World Cup Super Eights match between Sri Lanka and Pakistan at the Pallekele International Cricket Stadium in Kandy on February 28, 2026. (Photo by Ishara S. KODIKARA / AFP)

Sunrisers Leeds, a team owned by the Chennai-based media conglomerate Sun Group, on Thursday (March 12, 2026) signed mystery spinner Abrar Ahmed during the Hundred player auction. This action has not gone down with a section of social media users.

The Hundred is a professional cricket league organised by the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB), which uses the 100-ball cricket format. Sunrisers Leeds is one of the eight teams and is owned by Sun Group, which also owns Sunrisers Hyderabad, a team in Indian Premier League. The League is scheduled to take place from July 21 to August 16.

The Sunrisers Leeds secured Ahmed for GBP 190,000 (approximately ₹2.34 crore) after a bidding war with the Trent Rockets, making the first Indian-owned franchise to sign a Pakistani player since 2009.

The franchise’s CEO Kavya Maran attended the auction and did the paddle-raising duty.

What led to the outrage?

Following the announcement of the signing, social media platforms erupted with hashtags such as #ShameOnSRH and #BoycottSunrisers gaining traction among Indian users. The outrage is rooted in alleged social media posts by Ahmed last year, during a period of heightened tensions between India and Pakistan.

Many fans accused him of mocking the Indian Armed Forces, leading to calls for a boycott of the Sunrisers brand. Netizens argued that handing a lucrative contract to a player who had publicly disparaged Indian security forces is showing the franchise owners’ way of ignoring national sentiment.

Sunriser Leeds X account suspended

In the midst of the ongoing controversy, the official X account of Sunrisers Leeds has been suspended in India. No explanation has been given for this action and the account is currently inaccessible.

The official page merely indicates that the account has been suspended and notes that “X suspends accounts which violate the X Rules.”

Kaviya Maran facing backlash

Meanwhile, Ms. Maran is now facing backlash from fans and critics alike for buying the Pakistan cricketer at the Hundred auction. There has been no official statement from the Sunrisers franchise on this.

Ahmed is not part of Sunrisers Hyderabad, a team in the Indian Premier League. He will play for the Sunrisers Leeds in The Hundred, a much-anticipated fast-paced 100-ball tournament in England.

(With PTI inputs)

Published – March 13, 2026 12:01 pm IST




More than 50 Pakistan players up for sale in The Hundred 2026 auction | Cricket News – The Times of India
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More than 50 Pakistan players up for sale in The Hundred 2026 auction | Cricket News – The Times of India


More than 50 Pakistan players up for sale in The Hundred 2026 auction | Cricket News – The Times of India
Sam Billings of Oval Invincibles lifts The Hundred 2025 trophy (Photo by Julian Finney/Getty Images)

MUMBAI: More than 50 Pakistan players (men and women) have registered for The Hundred auction, which will be held at Piccadilly Lights in London on March 11 (women’s competition) and March 12 (men’s competition). “The auction list includes more than 50 players from Pakistan,” a source tracking developments told TOI.

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As per the ICC Future Tours Programme (FTP), Pakistan are scheduled to have an away Test series against West Indies in August. A full list of players registered for The Hundred auction will be released at 1 PM UK time (6.30 PM India time) on Friday.Last season, only two Pakistan players, Mohammad Amir and Mohammad Wasim, featured in the tournament (for Northern Superchargers), while Pakistan-born Zafar Gohar was part of the Oval Invincibles squad.Six of the eight franchises, London Spirit (owned by US-based tech investors), MI Oval (Reliance Industries), Manchester SuperGiants (RPSG Group), Southern Brave (GMR Group), Sunrisers Leeds (Sun TV) and Welsh Fire (US-based Sanjay Govil), have Indian owners. Of these six, four teams are owned by Indian IPL franchises Mumbai Indians, Delhi Capitals, Lucknow SuperGiants and Sunrisers Hyderabad.“The Hundred Auction will see over 200 players go under the hammer, with the sixteen men’s and women’s teams picking up to 14 players each as they take a big step towards filling their squads ahead of the sixth edition of The Hundred this summer,” the England & Wales Cricket Board stated in a media release on Thursday.The women’s auction register includes India’s swashbuckling opener Shafali Verma, Beth Mooney, Nadine de Klerk, Amy Jones and Davina Perrin.The men’s teams will bid for players with Joe Root, Quinton de Kock, Jason Holder, Haris Rauf and Adil Rashid potentially among the early contenders. Auctioneer Richard Madley will run proceedings across both days.The men’s teams have a salary pot of £2.05m, while the women’s teams have a salary pot of £880,000. Each team has already spent a portion of their pot on pre-auction direct signings and retentions.Teams are allowed up to four pre-auction signings from mid-November to the end of January. A maximum of three can be direct signings and must be overseas or England centrally contracted players. A minimum of one will be a retention, which can be any player — England centrally contracted, overseas or domestic.Across the auction, teams will compete to sign players across three phases: Hero Players, Ranked Players and Nominated Players. Teams will each provide a long-list of players they are most interested in signing ahead of the auction, with the phases reflecting aggregated interest in each player.