Indian-owned Sunrisers face setback after signing Pakistan’s Abrar Ahmed Cricket News

A post announcing Abrar’s signing was met with thousands of people angrily questioning the patriotism of the Indian owner.

Sunrisers Leeds faced severe social media backlash after Indian-owned franchise Hundred signed Pakistani spinner Abrar Ahmed this week.

The long-standing political crisis between India and Pakistan means that the two nations only play each other in major global cricket tournaments.

Pakistani cricketers have not appeared in the Indian Premier League (IPL) since 2009 due to deep diplomatic tensions between the two nations.

There was speculation that Pakistani players involved in this week’s inaugural Hundred auction in London would be subject to a “shadow ban”, with IPL-affiliated teams refusing to bid for them.

Four franchises – MI London, Manchester Super Giants, Sunrisers Leeds and Southern Brave – are at least part-owned by the companies that control the IPL teams.

But Sunrisers, based in the northern English city of Leeds, struck a deal for Pakistani leg-spinner Abrar, paying 190,000 pounds ($252,000) for his services.

A post announcing Abrar’s signing drew thousands of replies angrily questioning the patriotism of the Indian owner.

Some have highlighted that Abrar has mocked India on social media and called on fans to boycott IPL team Sunrisers Hyderabad following the conflict between the two countries in May 2025.

Usman Tariq, the only other Pakistani player bought in the auction, was picked up by United States-backed Birmingham Phoenix.

Only two Pakistani players, Fatima Sana and Sadia Iqbal, went unsold in the women’s auction held on Wednesday.

The England and Wales Cricket Board issued a statement last month saying all eight city-based franchises in the 100-ball-a-side competition were committed to selection based on performance alone.

But Sunrisers have come under fire from some Indian cricket fans after signing Ahmed.

@SunrisersLeeds account on X suspended on Thursday. It was back up and running on Friday with a new follower base, but comments were again heavily focused on Abrar’s signing.

The same was true of the club’s Instagram feed, but the issue spread to the accounts of Sunrisers Hyderabad, owned by the Sun Group media conglomerate.