Sunrisers Hyderabad coach Daniel Vettori defended Sunrisers Leeds’ signing of Pakistani spinner Abrar Ahmed at The Hundred 2026 Auction, amid heavy fan backlash. Vettori stressed the move was based purely on cricketing merit, highlighting Abrar’s “unique” spin variations as the key reason for the historic acquisition.
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.
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Vettori on Abrar Ahmed’s 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.
Abrar Ahmed entered the auction at a base price of £75,000, and the Trent Rockets initiated the bidding at £100,000 before Sunrisers Leeds entered the bidding war.
The two franchises were engaged in a prolonged and intense bidding battle, with the price steadily climbing until Sunrisers Leeds finally secured Abrar Ahmed for £190,000, making their most expensive buy at The Hundred 2026 Auction.
‘Abrar Was A Priority’
Daniel Vettori admitted that Sunrisers Leeds were well aware of the controversy and backlash around the signing of Abrar Ahmed, but the team didn’t receive any specific instruction to avoid signing Pakistani players.
Vettori further stated that Abrar Ahmed’s signing was purely based on his skills, emphasizing that Abrar stood out among available spinners and was prioritized for his skill set, with no directives to avoid Pakistani players influencing the choice.
“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.
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At the Hundred Auction, the Sunrisers franchise spent £1.01 million of their remaining £1.1 million purse to sign 11 players and complete their 15-member squad. English cricketer Dan Lawrence was the most expensive buy for the Kavya Maran-led Sunrisers Leeds, as the franchise secured his services for £210,000 during the auction.
The franchise had already committed £950,000 from its total budget of £2.05 million to pre-sign four players, including Harry Brook, Mitchell Marsh, Nathan Ellis, and Brydon Carse, before the auction.
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