London, March 12: Sunrisers Leeds made headlines on Thursday by signing Pakistani leg-spinner Abrar Ahmed during The Hundred auction. The franchise secured the player for £190,000 (approximately ₹2.3 crore), marking him as the first Pakistani international player signed by a franchise owned by Indian interests in the tournament.
Abrar’s base price was set at £75,000 (around ₹92.5 lakh). Sunrisers Leeds, owned by Indian media group Sun TV, triumphed in a bidding contest against Trent Rockets just before the lunch break of the auction.
Sun TV acquired the franchise known as Northern Superchargers by purchasing a 49% stake from the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) and the remaining 51% from Yorkshire for nearly £100 million. This group also operates Sunrisers Hyderabad (IPL) and Sunrisers Eastern Cape (SA20).
Initial reports suggested that IPL franchises would avoid bidding for Pakistani players, and this expectation lingered during the early stages of Thursday’s auction. However, Sunrisers Leeds broke this trend by selecting Abrar.
Since 2009, no Pakistani player has participated in the Indian Premier League (IPL). IPL franchise owners typically shy away from signing Pakistani cricketers, despite the global trend of franchises investing in T20 leagues.
The ECB stated last month that player selections in the auction would be based solely on cricket performance, availability, and each team’s requirements. In the first five seasons of the competition, nine Pakistani players participated, but no Pakistani female cricketers were selected in Wednesday’s women’s auction.
Abrar was the second Pakistani player sold during the auction. Earlier, mystery spinner Usman Tariq was acquired by Birmingham Phoenix for £140,000 (approximately ₹1.72 crore), while several other Pakistani players, including Sam Ayub, Haris Rauf, and Shadab Khan, went unsold.
In the early stages of the auction, Sunrisers Leeds also added Ryan Rickelton, Jack Crawley, Matt Potts, and Dan Lawrence to their roster. The team already includes players like Brydon Carse, Mitchell Marsh, and Nathan Ellis. Harry Brook is set to captain the team, with Daniel Vettori taking on the coaching role. The new season of The Hundred 2026 will run from July 21 to August 16, featuring 34 matches each for both men’s and women’s categories.
My name is Narendra Jijhontiya. I am an experienced content writer with several years of expertise in the field. Currently, I contribute to Daily Kiran, creating engaging and informative content across a variety of categories including TECHNOLOGY, health, travel, education, and automobiles. My goal is to deliver accurate, insightful, and captivating information through my words to help readers stay informed and empowered.
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