Sunrisers Leeds break silence on signing Pakistan spinner Abrar Ahmed in The Hundred auction: ‘Usman Tariq also on radar’

Sunrisers Leeds head coach Daniel Vettori said the franchise signed Pakistan mystery spinner Abrar Ahmed after missing out on England leg-spinner Adil Rashid in The Hundred men’s player auction on Thursday.

The franchise, owned by Sun TV Network, bought Abrar for $255,000, making him the first Pakistani player to be signed by an Indian-owned team in the tournament. However, the move triggered criticism from some fans in India, with several taking to social media to question the decision and target team owner Kavya Maran.

The team’s official account on X was also suspended amid the backlash, while the franchise has not yet issued a formal response.

Vettori, however, said the call was purely a cricketing one, taken after Rashid was picked by Southern Brave earlier in the auction.

“Once we missed out on Adil Rashid, who was a priority early on, we obviously moved towards an overseas spinner. There were four or five players we were looking at, and Abrar was one of them. Very pleased to get him,” Vettori said after the auction.

Sun TV had completed the takeover of Northern Superchargers last year by acquiring a 49% stake from the England and Wales Cricket Board and the remaining 51% from Yorkshire County Cricket Club. No other Indian-owned franchise in the competition selected a Pakistani player in the auction.

Earlier reports had suggested a possible shadow ban on Pakistani players among Indian-owned teams in the tournament, though all eight franchises later clarified that selections would be based purely on merit and cricketing ability.

Vettori also said there had been “no discussion” within the management about avoiding Pakistani players.

“We just planned for everyone who was in the auction. There wasn’t a discussion about not picking Pakistan players. It was simply about who was the best option,” he said.

He added that the team had also considered other overseas spinners such as Usman Tariq and Rishad Hossain before deciding on Abrar.

Vettori described Abrar as a “mystery” bowler whose variations could prove effective at Headingley Stadium, where spin has often played a crucial role. “The feedback from Australian players who faced him recently was that he’s tricky to play — lots of variations and the ability to strike in the powerplay and middle overs,” he said. “Having him will make a big difference for us.”