Hundred Auction 2026: Kavya Maran faces backlash after Indian-owned Sunrisers Leeds buy Pakistan's Abrar Ahmed

London, 30 June — Sunrisers Leeds’ £190,000 purchase of Pakistan leg-spinner Abrar Ahmed on the opening day of the Hundred’s 2026 men’s draft has ignited a social-media storm directed at the franchise’s Indian ownership and its public face, Kavya Maran.

Within minutes of the deal being confirmed on X, the club’s announcement thread was overwhelmed by critical comments, many questioning why an IPL-linked organisation had spent the fourth-highest sum of the auction on a Pakistani player while political relations between the two countries remain strained. Several posts singled out Maran, co-owner of Sunrisers Leeds and daughter of the Sun Group patriarch, for “ignoring sentiment” by approving the bid.

Sunrisers Leeds is operated by the same consortium that runs Sunrisers Hyderabad in the Indian Premier League, a competition that has not fielded a Pakistani cricketer since the 2009 season. That history had fuelled pre-auction speculation that IPL-affiliated teams in the Hundred might steer clear of Pakistani talent, but the ECB and all eight franchises issued a joint statement last week insisting selections would be “based purely on performance, availability and squad need.”

Abrar, 27, has taken 47 wickets in 16 first-class matches and is viewed by scouts as a potential match-winner on English soil. Sunrisers Leeds outbid two other franchises to secure his services, making him the most expensive spinner in the 2026 auction and the priciable overseas signing so far.

Elsewhere, Birmingham Phoenix added another Pakistan spinner, Usman Tariq, for £140,000, but not every Pakistani name found a home. Fast bowler Haris Rauf remained unsold at his £100,000 reserve, while marquee quick Shaheen Shah Afridi withdrew from the pool on the eve of the event. Pakistan’s women endured similar frustration: national captain Fatima Sana and left-arm orthodox Sadia Iqbal both went unbid in Monday’s women’s draft.

The headline numbers of the night belonged to English talent. London Spirit splashed £390,000 on uncapped all-rounder James Cole, Welsh Fire stacked their batting by pairing Jordan Cox and former England Test captain Joe Root for a combined £540,000, and the 100-ball competition’s 2026 edition—scheduled to run from 21 July for four weeks—now has its first major controversy to accompany the big-ticket buys.

Sunrisers Leeds declined to comment beyond their initial social-media post, but the ECB reiterated that “all player selections are made independently by teams within the competition’s salary cap and availability guidelines.” Whether that explanation cools the debate before the tournament begins remains to be seen.