The Hundred 2026 auction: Indian-owned SunRisers Leeds buy Pakistan's Abrar Ahmed
India Today
The Hundred Auction 2026: Indian-owned SunRisers Leeds bought Pakistan spinner Abrar Ahmed for £190,000 on Thursday, March 12. It marked the first time in a long while that a team owned by an Indian Premier League franchise has picked a Pakistan cricketer.
SunRisers Leeds bought Abrar Ahmed in the Hundred 2026 auction on Thursday, March 12. The SunRisers franchise, owned by the Sun Group - an Indian conglomerate led by Kalanithi Maran – went all out for the Pakistan spinner, eventually securing him for £190,000 (approx. Rs 2.34 crore). Kavya Maran, who serves as a key figure and CEO of the franchise, was present at the auction table.
Kavya, along with head coach Daniel Vettori, was at the auction table at Piccadilly Lights in London on Thursday as SunRisers Leeds outbid Trent Rockets to acquire Abrar Ahmed. SunRisers Leeds will be led by England's T20I captain, Harry Brook.
It was the first time in many years that a team with ownership links to the Indian Premier League (IPL) had signed a Pakistan cricketer. Screengrab rom SunRisers Leeds/X
Four of The Hundred's eight franchises – Manchester Super Giants, MI London, Southern Brave and SunRisers Leeds – are now at least partially owned by companies that control IPL teams.
Earlier in the day, Pakistan's Usman Tariq, the mystery spinner with a pause who created a flutter in the T20 World Cup 2026, was bought by Birmingham Phoenix for £140,000.
Having made his debut for Pakistan in 2022, Abrar Ahmed was initially labelled a Test specialist. However, since making his T20I debut in 2024, Abrar has taken 52 wickets in 38 matches, boasting a sensational average of 17.36 and an excellent economy rate of 6.67. He also picked up six wickets in four matches during Pakistan's disappointing campaign at the ICC Men's T20 World Cup last month.
No Pakistani players were sold in the Women's Hundred auction, with Fatima Sana and Sadia Iqbal shortlisted but left unsold. Attention now shifts to the men's auction, where 14 Pakistani players, including Haris Rauf, Shaheen Afridi, and Shadab Khan, are set to feature.
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