Indian fans have voiced their anger after Sunrisers Leeds, owned by Kavya Maran, acquired the services of Pakistan leg-spinner Abrar Ahmed during the inaugural Men’s Hundred auction on Thursday, March 12.
The political tension between India and Pakistan, especially after the Pahalgam terror attack last year, has soured cricketing relations between the two neighbouring countries as well. Since the 2025 Asia Cup, the Indian team has avoided shaking hands with Pakistani players during their meetings in multi-national events. Bilateral cricket between the nations has remained frozen for over a decade. Pakistani players have been banned from playing in the IPL since the 2009 season.
Amid the turmoil, Kavya Maran’s Sunrisers Leeds made a massive call, signing Abrar during the auction held in London. Abrar had a base price of 75,000 pounds, but a bidding war involving Sunrisers Leeds and Trent Rockets saw the 27-year-old earning a mind-boggling contract of 190,000 pounds (around INR 2.3 crore).
Abrar’s signing has sparked widespread backlash from several Indian fans on social media. The Karachi-born became the first Pakistani international to be signed by an Indian-owned franchise in the tournament, a move that drew massive criticism for Sunrisers Leeds.
Sunrisers Leeds is owned by Indian media conglomerate Sun TV Network, which recently completed the acquisition of the franchise previously known as Northern Superchargers. Sunrisers Hyderabad and Sunrisers Eastern Cape are two of the other franchises owned by the conglomerate.
A few reports leading up to the auction suggested that IPL franchise-owned teams might avoid bidding for Pakistani players. It seemed true in the initial stages of the auction, as Haris Rauf and Shadab Khan went unsold. However, Abrar’s news took social media by storm.
Indian fans slammed Maran, while some opined that Sunrisers Hyderabad should be boycotted during the upcoming edition of the IPL.
Let’s take a look at how fans reacted to Abrar Ahmed’s signing on social media:
Abrar at Headingley, soon 👏 [Play With Fire | SunRisers Leeds]
09:29 PM · Mar 12, 2026
Abrar at Headingley, soon 👏 [Play With Fire | SunRisers Leeds]
07:29 PM · Mar 12, 2026
Abrar at Headingley, soon 👏 [Play With Fire | SunRisers Leeds]
09:25 PM · Mar 12, 2026
Abrar at Headingley, soon 👏 [Play With Fire | SunRisers Leeds]
08:32 PM · Mar 12, 2026
Abrar at Headingley, soon 👏 [Play With Fire | SunRisers Leeds]
07:43 PM · Mar 12, 2026
Sunrisers Leeds Bought Pakistani Spinner Abrar Ahmed in The Hundred League Auction 🤯 – He became the first Pakistani player to be picked by a franchise owned by the Indian owners. – Kavya Maran and her franchise might have just lost a lot of supportors and respect for this.
09:04 PM · Mar 12, 2026
Abrar at Headingley, soon 👏 [Play With Fire | SunRisers Leeds]
07:55 PM · Mar 12, 2026
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