Earlier, it was reported that Indian-owned teams will not pick Pakistani players.
Indian-owned SunRisers Leeds roped in Pakistan spinner Abrar Ahmed for £190,000 (approx. Rs 2.34 crore) in The Hundred auction on Thursday (March 12). It marked the first time in a long while that a team owned by an Indian Premier League franchise has signed a Pakistani cricketer.
Last month, the British media had reported that Indian-owned teams - Manchester Super Giants, MI London, Southern Brave, and Sunrisers Leeds - will not pick Pakistani players amid concerns over potential political backlash in India due to ongoing tensions between two nations.
However, the report turned out to be false as SunRisers franchise, owned by the Sun Group – an Indian conglomerate led by Kalanithi Maran – went all out to secure Abrar’s services.
Kavya Maran, the CEO of the franchise, was present at the auction table along with head coach Daniel Vettori in London. SunRisers Leeds outbid Trent Rockets to acquire Abrar Ahmed, who will play under Harry Brook’s captaincy in The Hundred.
Having made his debut for Pakistan in 2022, Abrar Ahmed was initially labelled as a Test specialist. However, since making his T20I debut in 2024, the leg-spinner has taken 52 wickets in 38 matches at an impressive economy rate of 6.67. He also claimed six wickets in four matches during Pakistan's dismal T20 World Cup 2026 campaign.
As total of 14 Pakistan players were shortlisted for The Hundred 2026 auction. On the eve of the auction, left-arm pacer Shaheen Afridi pulled out, but 13 players were up for grabs.
Haris Rauf, who was dropped from the T20 World Cup 2026 squad, went unsold along with Saim Ayub.