New Delhi, March 16 -- The 2026 player auction for The Hundred in London sparked immediate controversy. Sunrisers Leeds, an Indian-owned franchise, acquired Pakistan spinner Abrar Ahmed for USD 255,000.

Fans quickly slammed the move. They criticised Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) and co-owner Kavya Maran for hiring a Pakistani player. Sun TV owns the Sunrisers franchise, which also operates Sunrisers Eastern Cape in South Africa's SA20 league.

Historically, Pakistani players have been barred from the Indian Premier League (IPL) since 2009. This ban followed the 2008 Mumbai terror attacks.

Indian cricket legend Sunil Gavaskar has expressed strong disapproval in his Mid-day column. He noted that the backlash was expected.

"The furore created...