Sunriser Leeds' official X account was suspended hours after buying Pakistani spinner Abrar Ahmed at the Hundred auction. Fans were left disappointed at the purchase by the Indian-owned side, given the tension between the two countires
-1773377732540_d.png "Sunriser Leeds' official X account suspended after buying Pakistani spinner Abrar Ahmed")
Pic: X
Sunrisers Leeds' official Twitter account has been suspended following their purchase of Pakistani spinner Abrar Ahmed. Ahmed became the first Pakistani player to be bought by an Indian owned Hundred team. Sunrisers Leeds splashed out 2.3 Cr for his service during the Hundred auction.
Abrar's acquisition did not go down well with the fans, who reacted on the Sunrisers Leeds official X account. Several fans took to social media and criticised the Sunrisers franchise and the owner, Kavya Maran, for signing a Pakistani player amidst the ongoing tensions between the two nations.
Sunrisers team owner, Kavya Maran, was present at the Hundred auction, accompanied by former New Zealand skipper Daniel Vettori. Before the auction, there were rumours about whether any Indian owned side would sign a Pakistani player, but Sunrisers Leeds' acquisition of Abrar Ahmed has added further fuel to the fire.
Sunrisers Leeds' official X (previously Twitter) was suspended just hours after the team signed Abrar. The platform did not provide a precise explanation for it, but said "Account suspended" when trying to open it.
Sunrisers Hyderabad, the Indian franchise, has received the brunt of fan reactions on X and could face further fury of the fans when they kick off their IPL campaign against Royal Challengers Bengaluru on March 28.
Ahmed Abrar among the only two Pakistani players signed at the Hundred
After Usman Tariq, who was acquired by Birmingham Phoenix for GBP 140,000 (about Rs 1.72 crore), Abrar was the second Pakistani player sold at the auction. However, the Phoenix franchise is not connected to the IPL and has American owners.
Spinner Shadab Khan, off-spin all-rounder Saim Ayub, and Pakistani pacer Harris Rauf were previously unsold during the auction. Meanwhile, pacer Shaheen Shah Afridi withdrew from the auction a day prior.
In the women's Hundred, Fatima Sana and Sadia Iqbal, the only two Pakistani players, also went unsold.
Meanwhile, Bangladesh pacer Mustafizur Rahman was sold to Phoenix for GBP 100,000 (about Rs 1 Crore). London Spirit made the largest bid of the day for Sussex all-rounder James Coles, offering GBP 390000 (Rs 4.8 crore). Cole became the most expensive purchase at the Hundred auction.
(With PTI input)
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