SRH Coach Opens Up On Bid For Pakistan Star In The Hundred Auction Amid Outrage: "Abrar Ahmed Was A Priority"
Sunrisers Leeds, owned by Chennai-based media conglomerate Sun Group that also runs IPL side Sunrisers Hyderabad, faced major criticism after buying Pakistan spinner Abrar Ahmed during The Hundred auction.
- Sunrisers Leeds faced major criticism after buying Pakistan spinner Abrar Ahmed during The Hundred auction
- Sunrisers head coach Daniel Vettori opened up about the move to buy the Pakistan cricketer
- "He's unique in the amount of variations. Abrar was a priority," the ex-New Zealand cricketer said
The Hundred 2026 Player Auction: Sunrisers Leeds, owned by Chennai-based media conglomerate Sun Group that also runs IPL side Sunrisers Hyderabad, faced major criticism after buying Pakistan spinner Abrar Ahmed during The Hundred auction. Abrar became the first Pakistan player to be signed by an Indian-owned franchise in the competition. The mystery spinner from Pakistan sparked a bidding war between Sunrisers and Trent Rockets before he was bought for 190,000 pounds (approximately Rs 2.34 crore). Sunrisers Hyderabad co-owner Kavya Maran was present at the auction and she was the one who took part in the bidding process. Following the auction, Sunrisers head coach Daniel Vettori opened up about the move to buy the Pakistan cricketer.
"He's unique in the amount of variations and a lot of, particularly domestic players, won't have seen him before," Vettori told BBC Sport.
The former New Zealand skipper also said that he was "aware" of the speculations surrounding Pakistan players but made it clear that he was not given any specific instruction to avoid signing them.
"We came into the auction with every player available to us. As soon as this option was available there were a number of very good spinners from international teams that were an option, but Abrar was a priority," he added.
Abrar was the second Pakistan player sold during the auction after another mystery spinner Usman Tariq was bought by Birmingham Phoenix for GBP 140,000 (Rs 1.72 crore approximately).
However, Phoenix have no IPL connection.Â
akistan Pacer Harris Rauf, off-spin all-rounder Saim Ayub and spinner Shadab Khan earlier went unsold.
Seasoned left-arm seamer Shaheen Shah Afridi had earlier withdrawn himself from the auction.
The only two Pakistan players in Wednesday's women's Hundred auction — Fatima Sana and Sadia Iqbal — also went unsold.
The League will run from July 21 to August 16.
(With PTI inputs)
Sunrisers Hyderabad