Pakistan spinner Abrar Ahmed was signed by SunRisers Leeds at the Hundred Player Auction on Thursday. The spinner was bought for £190,000 (INR 2.34 crore). It was earlier reported by BBC that the owners who have teams in the IPL will not be picking Pakistan players in their squads. Four out these eight franchises at the Hundred — MI London, SunRisers Leeds, Southern Brave, Manchester Super Giants — are owned by groups that also own IPL teams.
The SunRisers franchises are co-owned by Kavya Maran. The speculations have been put to rest as the franchise got Abrar in the side after a bidding war with Trent Rockets.
Paddle up for Abrar 👊
— SunRisers Leeds (@sunrisersleeds) March 12, 2026
What Did The Report Say?
A senior official from the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) indicated to an agent that Pakistan players might not find a lot of buyers in the auction, according to a BBC report. Another agent described the situation as “an unwritten rule” across T20 leagues around the world with Indian investment.
On Participation from across the world, an ECB spokesperson had said: “The Hundred welcomes men’s and women’s players from all over the world and we would expect the eight teams to reflect that. “Almost 1,000 cricketers from 18 nations have registered for The Hundred auction, with representation on the longlist of over 50 players respectively from Australia, South Africa, New Zealand, Pakistan and West Indies.”
🚨SUNRISES LEEDS KAVYA MARAN PICK PAKISTANI PLAYERS.🚨
– Abrar Ahmed Sold to Sunrises leeds at INR 2.2 Crore.😞
First pakisthani player pick by Indian team 🤯pic.twitter.com/3TYywFfWRd
— Sam (@Cricsam01) March 12, 2026
Usman Tariq Sold to Birmingham Phoenix
Another Pakistan spinner Usman Tariq was signed by Birmingham Phoenix for £140,000 (INR 1.72 crore). He became the first player from Pakistan to be sold at the auction.
Uncapped allrounder James Coles was the most expensive player, attracting an eye-watering £390,000 (US$522,000) salary from London Spirit.
Other players who bagged big amount of money were Jordan Cox (£300,000 at Welsh Fire), Tom Curran (£260,000 at MI London) and Adil Rashid (£250,000 at Southern Brave). Joe Root was the first player sold, for £240,000 (US$321,000) to Welsh Fire, while Dan Lawrence netted £210,000 (US$281,000) from Sunrisers.
Aiden Markram attracted the highest bid of any overseas player, earning a £200,000 (US$277,000) contract at Manchester Super Giants.
How Many Pakistan Players Registered?
As many as 14 Pakistan players were shortlisted for the Hundred 2026 auction. On the eve of the auction, ODI captain Shaheen Afridi withdrew. Haris Rauf, who was not picked for the T20 World Cup 2026 campaign, went unsold along with all-rounder Saim Ayub.
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