Sunrisers Leeds, The Hundred Auction 2026: The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) said it has no concerns about Pakistan spinner Abrar Ahmed being signed by Sunrisers Leeds, a team owned by the same group that runs Sunrisers Hyderabad, for the upcoming edition of The Hundred. BCCI vice-president Rajeev Shukla said the Indian board does not interfere with player selections in overseas leagues and that its authority is limited to the Indian Premier League.
“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 up to them. It’s purely up to the franchise that has bought 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 said as quoted by ANI.
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A 27-year-old leg-spinner who has represents Pakistan national cricket team in all formats, was bought for £190,000 (about Rs 2.34 crore) to play in the England and Wales Cricket Board’s 100-ball competition. The signing triggered criticism on social media in India, where some fans questioned the decision to recruit a Pakistani player amid longstanding political tensions between the two countries. The franchise’s official account on X was temporarily suspended following the backlash, while team owner Kavya Maran also faced criticism online. Sunrisers management has not yet publicly responded to the reaction.
Ahead of the auction, there had been speculation that Indian-owned teams might avoid signing Pakistani players, similar to the situation in the Indian Premier League, where Pakistani cricketers have not participated since 2008.
Ahmed was one of only two Pakistani players sold during the men’s Hundred auction, alongside Usman Tariq.
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.