The Hundred 2026 auction created major headlines after Sunrisers Leeds signed Pakistan spinner Abrar Ahmed for around Rs 2.3 crore. The franchise is owned by IPL owners and the decision surprised many fans. Earlier reports suggested that teams connected to IPL franchises might avoid picking Pakistan players. However, Sunrisers Leeds went ahead and secured the mystery spinner during the auction.

The decision has immediately sparked strong reactions from Indian cricket fans on social media. The fans of the team are criticizing the team for picking a Pakistani player when the two nations are not in good relations. Abrar Ahmed was also in controversy in the past due to some of his social media posts that did not go well with Indian fans. As a result, the decision by the franchise became a major talking point online.

Soon after the auction, BCCI Vice-President Rajiv Shukla clarified that the Indian cricket board has no authority over what franchises do in foreign leagues. “Our domain is limited to the IPL. We have nothing to do with what they do in a league outside that. How can we interfere with them signing a player in a foreign league. That’s upto them. It’s purely upto the franchise who have bough a team outside India. If they are taking some player outside India in that league, we are least concerned because, in IPL there is no such player,” Shukla told ANI.

Social Media Backlash After Abrar Ahmed Signing

According to reports, both Trent Rockets and Sunrisers Leeds showed interest in signing Abrar Ahmed during the auction. Eventually, the Kavya Maran-owned franchise secured the Pakistan spinner with a significant bid. However, the signing immediately triggered criticism from sections of Indian fans on social media platforms.

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#WATCH | Delhi | On Sunrisers Leeds signing Pakistan spinner Abrar Ahmed for the The Hundred 2026 season, Congress MP Rajiv Shukla says, "...It is not in our domain (IPL), they have done it for some foreign league...They will have to take a call; we cannot do anything" pic.twitter.com/pV6JQu1wmg

— ANI (@ANI) March 13, 2026

See Also: Fans slam Kavya Maran after Sunrisers Leeds signs PAK spinner Abrar Ahmed

Interestingly, not long after the purchase, the official X (formerly Twitter) account of Sunrisers Leeds was suspended. The reason for suspending Abrar Ahmed is not yet clear. This controversy comes at a time when India and Pakistan are not in good relations following the terror attack in Pahalgam in April 2025.

Besides Abrar Ahmed, only one other Pakistani player was sold in the auction. Mystery spinner Usman Tariq was signed by Birmingham Phoenix, a franchise that is not owned by an IPL team. Meanwhile, players such as Saim Ayub, Naseem Shah, Shadab Khan, and Haris Rauf went unsold despite having strong T20 records. Two women’s players from Pakistan also entered the auction but did not receive any bids.