Kavya Maran's Sunrisers Leeds bought Abrar Ahmed for 190,000 pounds in The Hundred 2026 auction.
Fans criticized Kavya Maran's decision online and accused the franchise of disregarding national sentiment. Reports that Kavya herself raised the paddle during the bidding war to hire a Pakistani spinner escalated the dispute.
Now, reports have stated that Abrar himself will have to decide his fate in the Hundred. This is because The Hundred 2026 and the Pakistan Test tour to the West Indies are set to clash, and if he is picked in the Pakistani squad for the red-ball tour, it will hurt his chances to feature in The Hundred in the UK.
“Abrar and his agent are in a fix because if he is selected for the Test team to play in the West Indies, it will affect his participation in The Hundred, which will start four days before the first Test,” a report in Telecom Asia Sport said.
Sources close to Abrar's agent said it would be a big blow if the spinner were not released to take part in The Hundred.
“Sunrisers Leeds owner has faced backlash from 1.4 billion people and has resisted that, so it will be imperative that Abrar plays in The Hundred,” sources told TelecomAsia.net.
The squad for the two-Test series will be announced by Pakistan's national selection committee on Monday, and Abrar is being considered because they require a leg-spinner, who is thought to be a potent weapon against the West Indies batters.
Following the 2008 Mumbai attacks, which were attributed to Islamists operating over the border, India suspended bilateral cricket matches with Pakistan. Only international competitions like the Asia Cup, Champions Trophy, and World Cup feature matches between the two nations.
A few months after Pakistani players participated in the first Indian Premier League (IPL), there was a boycott. Indian franchise owners in T20 leagues worldwide do not choose Pakistani players after their ban from the IPL.
Sunrisers Leeds only purchased Abrar in the auction because the England and Wales Cricket Board threatened that "no discrimination" would be permitted against Pakistani players.
(Telecom Asia Sport report)