Boycott SRH in IPL: SunRisers face backlash for buying Pakistan spinner in Hundred

A section of fans has called for a boycott of SunRisers Hyderabad after SunRisers Leeds, one of four Indian-owned franchises in The Hundred, signed Pakistan spinner Abrar Ahmed in Thursday's auction.

The inaugural auction of The Hundred's private era on March 12, 2026, was expected to be a celebratory milestone for the ECB. Instead, it has ignited a fierce geopolitical controversy in India. SunRisers Leeds, a franchise owned by the Sun Group and linked to the IPL's SunRisers Hyderabad, sparked a social media firestorm after winning a bidding war for Pakistan's mystery spinner Abrar Ahmed.

The signing, worth £190,000 (approx. Rs 2.34 crore), is a landmark event. It marks the first time in many years that a franchise with Indian ownership has actively recruited a Pakistani international. While the move was praised in the UK as a victory for meritocracy, it has drawn severe backlash from Indian fans, many of whom have called for a boycott of the SunRisers brand.

The Hundred, an eight-team tournament, will be played in the UK from July 21 to August 16.

The primary driver of the outrage is a series of controversial social media posts allegedly made by Abrar Ahmed in mid-2025. Following a period of heightened cross-border tension, Abrar reportedly shared content that Indian fans claim mocked the Indian Armed Forces.

As news of the signing broke, hashtags like #ShameOnSRH and #BoycottSunrisers began trending on X. Critics argued that by handing a lucrative contract to a player who had publicly disparaged Indian security forces, the franchise owners had ignored national sentiment for tactical gain.

Some even called out the face of the SunRisers brand, Kaavya Maran, for aggressively bidding for Abrar Ahmed in Thursday's auction in London.