Sunrisers Hyderabad head coach Daniel Vettori broke his silence over Sunrisers Leeds’ signing of Pakistan spinner Abrar Ahmed at the The Hundred 2026 Auction amid the controversy and backlash from fans and social media over the historic move.
Sunrisers Leeds, co-owned by CEO Kavya Maran, acquired the services of Abrar Ahmed for £190,000 (INR 2.34 Crore), making him the most expensive Asian player at the The Hundred 2026 Auction on Thursday, March 12. However, the move sparked widespread criticism as Abrar became the first Pakistani player to be signed by an Indian-owned franchise, despite the reports of a ‘shadow ban’ on Pakistan cricketers at The Hundred Auction.
The severe criticism and backlash led to Sunrisers Leeds’ X (formerly Twitter) getting suspended due to mass reporting of the account, highlighting the intensity of the fan outrage and online controversy surrounding the historic signing.
Abrar Ahmed was one of only two Pakistan players to have been signed by the franchises at The Hundred Auction. The other being Usman Tariq, who Birmingham Phoenix acquired for £140,000 (approximately INR 1.72 crore).
Speaking to the BBC Sport after The Hundred Auction, Daniel Vettori defended the signing of Abrar, stating that his spin bowling variations are ‘unique’.
“He’s unique in the amount of variations and a lot of, particularly domestic players, won’t have seen him before,” former New Zealand captain.
