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The Sunrisers franchise is facing strong backlash on social media after signing Pakistan’s mystery spinner Abrar Ahmed in the men’s player auction for The Hundred. Abrar was bought for USD 255,000, becoming the first Pakistani cricketer to be signed by a team owned by an Indian company in the tournament. The decision upset many fans in India, with several people online criticising the Sunrisers and team owner Kavya Maran for picking a Pakistani player and ignoring public sentiment.
During the auction, Kavya Maran was reportedly present at the table with head coach Daniel Vettori. Days before the auction, there were reports that the four teams owned by Indian groups in The Hundred would not sign players from Pakistan, especially after reports suggested there might be an unofficial ban.
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'X'banned the Sunrisers Leeds account
Only a few hours after Abrar was signed, the official X (formerly Twitter) account of Sunrisers Leeds was suspended. The platform did not explain the reason, but anyone trying to visit the page now sees a message saying the account has been suspended for violating X’s rules.
Sun TV, the Indian media company that owns the Sunrisers teams, took full control of the Leeds-based franchise last year. It bought a 49 per cent stake from the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) and the remaining 51 per cent from Yorkshire. The team was previously known as Northern Superchargers.
Before the auction, all eight franchises in The Hundred had agreed that their player selections would be based only on performance, availability, and the team’s needs.
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In the past, Sunrisers’ other teams, Sunrisers Hyderabad in the IPL and Sunrisers Eastern Cape in SA20, have never signed an active Pakistan player. In this auction, Sunrisers beat Trent Rockets in the bidding to secure Abrar Ahmed.
Why did Sunrisers Leeds sign Abrar Ahmed?
Head coach Daniel Vettori later said he had asked Australian players about Abrar earlier in the year. After hearing their feedback, the team decided to go after the spinner. He also mentioned that the franchise did not hold any special discussions about whether they should or should not pick Pakistani players.
Abrar was second Pakistani player sold in the men’s auction
Abrar was the second Pakistani player sold in the men’s auction. Earlier, spinner Usman Tariq was bought by Birmingham Phoenix for USD 187,000. Pakistani players have appeared in other T20 leagues around the world that are connected to IPL franchises. However, Pakistani international cricketers have not played in the IPL since 2008 because of political tensions between India and Pakistan.
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