Abrar Ahmed might not play in The Hundred 2026 season even if he is drafted by Sunrisers Leeds. The secret weapon spinner was getting his contract at a massive 190,000 (around INR 1.5 crore) after the bidding battle with Trent Rockets. It was the first time a team backed by IPL franchise invested in a Pakistani player for the tournament. The move also sparked debate on social media mainly aimed at Kavya Maran whose franchise is linked to the Leeds side.
But, the mystery spinner’s participation in the tournament is not certain as he needs to get the No Objection Certificate (NOC) from the Pakistan Cricket Board in order to play in the tournament. In case, he gets selected in Pakistan national cricket team for the tour of West Indies, he would be forced to miss the league. Pakistan are set to tour the Caribbean from July 15 to August 7 2026 for the two-match Test series which is linked to the ICC World Test Championship cycle.
🚨 MASSIVE STATEMENT BY ABRAR AHMED FOR KAVYA MARAN 🚨
•🇵🇰 “Thank you, Sunrisers Leeds, for picking me, and also thanks to Kavya Maran for showing her trust in me…..Seemore pic.twitter.com/tEVJdRid0J
— lndian Sports Netwrk (@IS_Netwrk29) March 12, 2026
Pakistan Scheduled to Play West Indies that Time
The first Test has been slated for Queens Park Oval in Trinidad, whereas the warm-up match and the second Test will be held at the Brian Lara Cricket Academy. On the other hand, The Hundred 2026 is fixed from July 21 to August 16, which is a period of time that greatly overlaps with the Test series. So, if the PCB decides not to issue the NOC to Ahmed, he will unfortunately have no other option but to pull out of the tournament.
There have been reports that the possibility of his playing in the tournament is a matter of debate. A source pointed out that his inclusion might be influenced by the decision of the Pakistan team management to pick him for the Test series against the West Indies or not.
On the other hand, Daniel Vettori, the head coach of Sunrisers Hyderabad, shared reasons for franchise-backed team going after Ahmed in the draft. To quote Vettori, originally the team was set on Adil Rashid, but after losing out on him, they concentrated on overseas spin options and finally got Ahmed. He also mentioned that the franchise is happy to have the Pakistani leg spinner on board and is looking ahead to his possible performances.
