BCCI Confirms No Say in Sunrisers Leeds Signing Pakistan's Abrar Ahmed
Indian-owned franchise Sunrisers Leeds have purchased spinner Abrar Ahmed for £190,000 during the Hundred auction 2026 on Thursday. The move has triggered fierce social media backlash and calls to boycott their IPL side due to longstanding political tensions between India and Pakistan that typically prevent cross-border cricket matches in major tournaments.
Key Points
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1Indian-owned cricket team Sunrisers Leeds signed Pakistan spinner Abrar Ahmed for £190,000 in The Hundred auction 2026.
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2The signing marks Abram as the first Pakistani player to be recruited by an Indian-franchised side following longstanding India-Pakistan political tensions that have previously frozen international matches between them. Sunrisers Leeds has faced fierce social media backlash and calls for a boycott of their IPL counterpart, SRH after this decision.
Developments
The Indian-owned cricket franchise Sunrisers Leeds faced backlash after signing Pakistani spinner Abrar Ahmed for 190,000 pounds (£256k). This deal occurred despite a longstanding diplomatic standoff between India and Pakistan that has prevented their cricketers from playing together since the IPL in 2009.
Indian-owning team Sunrisers Leeds have selected Pakistani spinner Abrar Ahmed for the upcoming "Dawn" round of England's T20 cricket competition, known as *The* Hundred. This signing has drawn significant backlash from fans and media outlets in Pakistan following his selection at The BCCI-linked auction event held on Sunday morning
Sunrisers Leeds faced intense social media backlash and had its X account suspended after signing Pakistani spinner Abrar Ahmed during a London Hundred auction despite ongoing diplomatic tensions between India and Pakistan preventing IPL participation for most of his country's players, while other Indian-owned franchises avoided the controversy by not selecting him.