Sunrisers Leeds’ official X (formerly Twitter) account was suspended on Thursday, only hours after the franchise secured Pakistan spinner Abrar Ahmed during The Hundred auction.
Abrar’s signing marked a notable moment in the competition, as he became the first Pakistan cricketer to join an Indian-owned franchise in the tournament. He was bought for £190,000 (approximately Rs 2.34 crore). The decision sparked criticism from several Indian supporters, who voiced their dissatisfaction on social media in the context of ongoing political tensions between the two nations. The backlash also extended to the franchise’s co-owner Kavya Maran, with calls to boycott Sunrisers Hyderabad in the Indian Premier League trending online.
X did not release an official reason for the suspension. Users attempting to visit the franchise’s profile were met with a notice stating: “Account suspended. X suspends accounts that violate the X rules.”
Abrar was the second Pakistan cricketer to be sold at the auction, following mystery spinner Usman Tariq, who was signed by Birmingham Phoenix for £140,000 (approximately Rs 1.72 crore). Birmingham Phoenix does not have any association with an IPL franchise.
Several other Pakistan players went unsold during the event, including fast bowler Harris Rauf, off-spin all-rounder Saim Ayub and spinner Shadab Khan. Experienced left-arm pacer Shaheen Shah Afridi had withdrawn his name from the auction earlier.
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In the women’s Hundred auction held on Wednesday, Pakistan representatives Fatima Sana and Sadia Iqbal were also not picked by any franchise.
Bangladesh seamer Mustafizur Rahman, meanwhile, was bought by Birmingham Phoenix for £100,000 (around Rs 1.23 crore). Rahman had previously been released by IPL side Kolkata Knight Riders on the directive of the BCCI, an episode that triggered developments culminating in Bangladesh’s exit from the recently concluded T20 World Cup.
The highest bid at the auction was made for Sussex all-rounder James Coles, who was signed by London Spirit for £390,000 (approximately Rs 4.8 crore).
