Sunrisers Leeds' X account suspended after signing star Pakistani spinner in The Hundred auction

Sunrisers Leeds’ X (formerly Twitter) account was suspended on Thursday, just hours after the team bought Pakistan spinner Abrar Ahmed in The Hundred auction. Abrar became the first Pakistani cricketer to join an Indian-owned franchise in the tournament. He was bought for £190,000 (about Rs 2.34 crore).

Kavya Maran, along with head coach Daniel Vettori, attended the auction at Piccadilly Lights in London on Thursday. Sunrisers Leeds outbid Trent Rockets to sign Abrar Ahmed. England’s T20I skipper Harry Brook will captain the team.

The move upset many Indian fans, who shared their anger on social media. They were unhappy that an Indian-owned team bought a Pakistani player amid political tensions between the two countries. Both the franchise and co-owner Kavya Maran received heavy criticism, with “Boycott Sunrisers Hyderabad” trending online.

Anyone trying to visit the account now sees this message: "Account suspended. X suspends accounts that violate X rules." So far, X has not explained why it suspended the Sunrisers Leeds account.

Also read -Fans slam Kavya Maran after Sunrisers Leeds signs PAK spinner Abrar Ahmed

Why Sunrisers Got Backlash for Signing Abrar Ahmed

The backlash against Sunrisers Leeds started because of some controversial social media posts Abrar Ahmed shared in mid-2025. These posts appeared during a time of high tension between India and Pakistan. Some Indian fans said the posts mocked the Indian Armed Forces.

When news of his signing came out, hashtags like #ShameOnSRH and #BoycottSunrisers started trending on X. Many critics said that by giving a high-value contract to Abrar, the team ignored public feelings and only focused on making their squad stronger.

Abrar Ahmed was the second Pakistani player sold during The Hundred 2026 auction. Another spinner, Usman Tariq, was bought by Birmingham Phoenix for £140,000 (about Rs 1.72 crore). Phoenix does not have any IPL connection.

Earlier, Pakistani players Harris Rauf, off-spin all-rounder Saim Ayub, and spinner Shadab Khan went unsold. Experienced left-arm seamer Shaheen Shah Afridi had withdrawn from the auction.

In Wednesday’s women’s Hundred auction, the only two Pakistani players, Fatima Sana and Sadia Iqbal, also went unsold. Bangladesh pacer Mustafizur Rahman was sold to Phoenix for £100,000 (about Rs 1.23 crore). Rahman had been released by IPL team Kolkata Knight Riders, which led to Bangladesh being removed from the recent T20 World Cup.

Sussex all-rounder James Coles got the highest bid of the day from London Spirit — £390,000 (about Rs 4.8 crore).

Full squad of Sunrisers Leeds for The Hundred Men's 2026

Ryan Rickelton, Harry Brook, Brydon Carse, Nathan Ellis, Tom Alsop, Mitchell Marsh, Dan Lawrence, Matthew Potts, Zak Crawley, Benjamin Howell, Abrar Ahmed, Tom Lawes, Reece Topley, Liam Patterson-White, Edward Barnard