Leg-spinner Abrar Ahmed was purchased by Sunrisers Leeds for 190,000 kilos ($254,201.00) in the lads’s public sale for The Hundred on Thursday, regardless of media experiences that Indian-owned groups would possibly keep away from signing cricketers from Pakistan.
In February, the BBC reported that Manchester Tremendous Giants, MI London, Southern Courageous and Sunrisers Leeds wouldn’t contemplate signing Pakistani gamers for the United Kingdom-based competitors amid tensions between neighbours India and Pakistan.
Following the report, the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) and all eight franchises pressured that gamers should not be excluded from choice based mostly on nationality.
Abrar has performed 38 Twenty20s for Pakistan since making his debut in 2024, taking 52 wickets with an economic system fee of 6.67.
Sunrisers opened the bidding for the 27-year-old at 130,000 kilos earlier than elevating their bid to fend off curiosity from Trent Rockets.
Trent Rockets, which isn’t Indian-owned, additionally tried to signal Abrar’s compatriot Usman Tariq, who finally joined Birmingham Phoenix for 140,000 kilos, whereas Pakistan’s Shadab Khan and Haris Rauf went unsold.
Pakistani gamers have been successfully barred from the Indian Premier League (IPL) since 2009.
The Hundred, the one cricket league on the planet that makes use of a 100-ball format, will probably be held from July 21 to August 16.
It was opened to non-public funding final 12 months, with 4 franchises acquired by IPL homeowners.
Revealed on Mar 12, 2026