Abrar became the first Pakistani player signed by an Indian-owned franchise in the tournament. The move to sign Abrar didn't go down well with fans, who took to X to criticise the team's owner and the franchise, terming them anti-national. <\/p>\r\n\r\n
Just hours after the team signed Abrar for 190,000 pounds (Rs 2.3 crore), Sunrisers Leeds\u2019 official X (formerly Twitter) account was suspended. While the platform hasn\u2019t provided a specific reason, users attempting to access the account are met with a pop-up message stating, \u201cAccount suspended. X suspends accounts that violate the X rules.\"<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Sun TV completed its acquisition of The Hundred franchise, previously known as Northern Superchargers, by buying a 49 per cent stake from the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) and the remaining 51 per cent from Yorkshire for about 100 million pounds<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Earlier reports suggested IPL franchise-owned teams would avoid bidding for Pakistan players, and the early stages of Thursday\u2019s auction appeared to support that expectation till Abrar was picked.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
No Pakistan player has featured in the Indian Premier League (IPL) since 2009, and IPL franchise owners who have invested in franchise T20 leagues worldwide have generally avoided signing cricketers from the country.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
The ECB said last month that selections in the auction would be based solely on \u2018cricketing performance, availability, and the needs of each team.' Nine Pakistan players have appeared across the competition\u2019s first five seasons, though none of the female cricketers from the country were picked in the women\u2019s auction on Wednesday.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Abrar was the second Pakistan player sold in the auction on Thursday after mystery spinner Usman Tariq was bought by Birmingham Phoenix for 140,000 pounds. Several other Pakistan players like Saim Ayub, Haris Rauf and Shadab Khan went unsold.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
The ECB said last month that selections in the auction would be based solely on \u2018cricketing performance, availability, and the needs of each team.' Nine Pakistan players have appeared across the competition\u2019s first five seasons, though none of the female cricketers from the country were picked in the women\u2019s auction on Wednesday.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
The 2026 Hundred will run from July 21 to August 16 and will feature 34 men\u2019s and 34 women\u2019s matches.<\/p>\r\n\r\n