Sunrisers Leeds, The Hundred Auction 2026: The Sunrisers franchise has come under heavy criticism on social media after signing Pakistan mystery spinner Abrar Ahmed during The Hundred men’s player auction on Thursday, March 12, 2026. Abrar became the first Pakistan cricketer to be signed by an Indian-owned franchise in The Hundred after Sunrisers Leeds secured his services for $255,000. However, the move sparked backlash among some fans in India, who took to social media to criticise the franchise and team owner Kavya Maran for signing a Pakistani player.
During the auction, Maran was seen at the team table alongside head coach Daniel Vettori as franchises finalised their squads for the 2026 season.
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Shortly after the franchise confirmed Abrar’s signing, the official X (formerly Twitter) account of Sunrisers Leeds was suspended. The platform did not provide a specific reason for the suspension. When users attempt to open the account, a message reads: “Account suspended.” According to the platform’s policies, accounts may be suspended for violating rules related to authenticity, safety or platform manipulation.
Sunrisers Leeds' X Account
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Even before the auction began, there had been significant speculation over whether the four Indian-owned franchises in The Hundred would bid for Pakistan players amid reports of a potential informal ban. However, the teams had previously stated that player selections would be based solely on performance, availability and team requirements.
The team was previously known as Northern Superchargers before being rebranded as Sunrisers Leeds. Sunrisers’ other franchises, Sunrisers Hyderabad in the IPL and Sunrisers Eastern Cape, have not previously signed active Pakistan international players.
Sunrisers Leeds: Nathan Ellis, Mitchell Marsh, Harry Brook, Brydon Carse, Abrar Ahmed, Benny Howell, Daniel Lawrence, Tom Lawes, Matthew Potts, Tom Alsop, Zak Crawley, Ryan Rickelton, Liam Patterson-White, Ed Barnard, Reece Topley.
