Sunrisers Leeds' X account gets suspended after buying Pakistan's Abrar Ahmed in The Hundred auction 2026
Sunrisers Leeds were at the receiving end of massive backlash after the franchise picked Pakistan's Abrar Ahmed in the inaugural The Hundred auction. The franchise secured Abrar for GBP 190,000 (Rs 2.34 crore) and that hasn't gone down well with fans in India.
The inaugural The Hundred auction took place at the Piccadilly Lights in London on Thursday and a controversy has emerged in India. Sunrisers Leeds, co-owned by Sun TV's Kavya Maran, who is also the owner of Sunrisers Hyderabad in the Indian Premier League (IPL), have come under the scanner for picking Pakistan spinner Abrar Ahmed in their squad. Ever since they have bought the player, the uproar in India has been massive on social media, with fans calling for the boycott of SRH in IPL, which is scheduled to get underway on March 28.
Moreover, Sunrisers Leeds' X account has also been suspended after the franchise bought Abrar for Rs 2.34 crore (GBP 190,000). For the unversed, Abrar was one of the only two Pakistan players to be sold at the auction, with Usman Tariq being the other, who went to Birmingham Phoenix.
At the auction, owner Kavya Maran was seen sitting at the table alongside head coach Daniel Vettori. For the unversed, the Sun TV took over Northern Superchargers' major stakes ahead of the upcoming season and renamed the team as Sunrisers Leeds. Three other IPL team owners have taken over the stakes in The Hundred, but they refrained from buying any Pakistani players at the auction.
Fans furious over Abrar's signing
Meanwhile, the fans are absolutely furious over Abrar Ahmed getting picked by Sunrisers Leeds. The franchise co-owner, Kavya, is being targeted on social media for the same reason, even as the fans are calling for the boycott of Sunrisers Hyderabad from the IPL.
Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) were forced to release Mustafizur Rahman over the strained relations between India and Bangladesh, as the BCCI asked the franchise to release the fast bowler. There was a huge outrage before and after as Bangladesh didn't play the T20 World Cup and Scotland replaced them. Even Pakistan showcased its support towards Bangladesh and threatened to boycott the marquee clash against India.
Now that Sunrisers Leeds' X account has been suspended, it remains to be seen if the franchise takes a decision to release Abrar Ahmed after the outrage in India as even the SRH team in the upcoming IPL is likely to suffer with this decision.
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