Sunrisers Leeds have found themselves at the centre of a storm just hours after their headline signing at The Hundred 2026 auction. The franchise’s official account on X (formerly Twitter) was suspended shortly after the team bought Pakistan mystery spinner Abrar Ahmed during the inaugural men’s auction in London.
Abrar became the first Pakistani cricketer to be picked by an Indian-owned franchise in The Hundred. Sunrisers, owned by the Sun Group, the same conglomerate that runs Sunrisers Hyderabad in the IPL, secured the leg-spinner for £190,000 (around USD 255,000) after beating Trent Rockets in a brief bidding contest. The move immediately triggered strong reactions online, particularly among Indian fans. Many criticised the franchise and its owner Kavya Maran for signing a Pakistani player, arguing that the decision ignored national sentiment.
Sunrisers in trouble after bagging Abrar
Even before the auction started, the Pakistani players were uncertain. There had been rumours in the run-up to the event that teams connected to IPL owners might completely steer clear of Pakistani players. Although the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) later clarified that teams would select players solely based on performance, availability, and squad requirements, earlier reports had even suggested the possibility of a quiet “shadow ban.”
After losing out on England leg-spinner Adil Rashid early in the auction, Sunrisers Leeds ultimately decided to give their spin department top priority. After that, the franchise looked to foreign options and decided that Abrar was their top pick.
However, the fallout on social media escalated quickly.
Soon after the signing was confirmed, users noticed that the Sunrisers Leeds account on X had disappeared. When visiting the page, viewers were greeted with the message “Account suspended”, along with a notice stating that X suspends accounts which violate platform rules. The company did not immediately provide a detailed explanation behind the suspension.
The team, formerly known as Northern Superchargers, was fully acquired last year by Indian media giant Sun TV, which acquired 49% of the team from the ECB and the remaining 51% from Yorkshire. Interestingly, other Sun Group teams, including Sunrisers Hyderabad in the IPL and Sunrisers Eastern Cape in SA20, have never previously signed an active Pakistan international.
Cricket
SRH coach reveals why Sunrisers bought Pakistan's Abrar Ahmed at the Hundred auction
