Indians have criticised Kavya Maran after her franchise Sunrisers Leeds picked Pakistani spinner Abrar Ahmed in the 2026 player auction of The Hundred.

 

Several Pakistani cricketers registered for the auction, but the teams selected only two players from Pakistan. Abrar Ahmed secured a major deal when Sunrisers Leeds signed him for £190,000, which equals around 71.2 million Pakistani rupees.

 

Another Pakistani spinner, Usman Tariq, also found a place in the tournament. Birmingham Phoenix signed him for £140,000, which equals roughly 53.2 million Pakistani rupees.

 

The selection quickly triggered strong reactions on Indian social media because Sunrisers Leeds belongs to the same ownership group as Sunrisers Hyderabad from the Indian Premier League (IPL).

 

Before the draft, some reports claimed that groups linked with India would avoid picking Pakistani players in the English competition. 

 

The Sunrisers Leeds decision went against that narrative and sparked heated debate online.

 

Many Indian users criticised Kavya Maran and the franchise for selecting Abrar Ahmed. Some users even called for a boycott of the IPL team. Their posts quickly circulated across social media platforms.

 

One user wrote, "Boycott SunRisers this IPL!!"

 

Another said, "I have unfollowed and BLOCKED SunRisers for buying Abrar Ahmed."

 

A different post read, "SHAME ON KAVYA MARAN AND SRH to buy this India hater in their team Sunrisers Leeds."

 

Some users questioned the decision more directly. One comment stated, "So Sunrisers bought this Pakistani cricketer Abrar Ahmed who mocks India...."

 

Another user asked, "Why we are giving money to Pakistani."

 

One questioned the franchise's strategy and said, "What do you make of this move from SunRisers?"

 

Despite the backlash, many cricket fans pointed out that The Hundred draft focuses on player ability and team balance rather than nationality.