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Sunrisers Leeds’ X Account suspended following the signing of Abrar Ahmed at The Hundred auction
The official X (formerly Twitter) account of Sunrisers Leeds was suspended on Thursday, just hours after the franchise took a major decision during the 2026 auction for The Hundred. The suspension came shortly after the franchise signed Pakistan spinner Abrar Ahmed for £190,000. Abrar’s signing gained attention because it made him the first Pakistan cricketer to join an Indian-owned franchise in the England-based competition.
Sunrisers Leeds are owned by the same group that runs the Sunrisers Hyderabad in the Indian Premier League, with franchise co-owner Kavya Maran closely associated with the team’s operations. Abrar Ahmed attracted strong interest during the auction and was picked up by Sunrisers Leeds for £190,000. His inclusion was a surprise, as Pakistan players have historically had limited opportunities in leagues connected to Indian ownership structures due to long-standing political and cricketing tensions between India and Pakistan.
Meanwhile, Abrar's signing triggered a wave of reactions on social media. Indian fans criticised the franchise for signing a Pakistani cricketer, especially given the sensitive relations between the two countries.
Despite the backlash, there has been no official statement from Sunrisers Leeds explaining the reasoning behind the signing or addressing the social media reaction. Amid this, several notable Pakistan cricketers went unsold during the auction. Among them were fast bowler Haris Rauf, off-spin all-rounder Saim Ayub, and experienced all-rounder Shadab Khan.
Sunrisers Leeds squad: Harry Brook, Brydon Carse, Mitchell Marsh, Nathan Ellis, Ryan Rickelton, Zak Crawley, Matthew Potts, Dan Lawrence, Abrar Ahmed, Benjamin Howell, Tom Lawes, Tom Alsop, Liam Patterson-White, Reece Topley, Edward Barnard.
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