An auction held in England’s franchise league The Hundred has created a big controversy. There is a strong reaction on social media after Sunrisers Group team bought Pakistani spinner Abrar Ahmed. Now former IPL Chairman Lalit Modi has also jumped into this whole issue and has given an open message to team owner Kavya Maran.

What is the whole controversy?

According to reports, Sunrisers Leeds bought Abrar Ahmed for around 1.9 lakh pounds (about Rs 2.34 crore) in The Hundred auction. After this, a section of Indian cricket fans started raising questions on this decision. Actually, Pakistani players have not been able to participate in IPL since 2008. In such a situation, Indian franchises have generally been seen maintaining distance from Pakistani players even in foreign leagues.

Lalit Modi’s taunt

Amidst this controversy, former IPL Chairman Lalit Modi has written a sharp message on social media regarding Sunrisers owner Kavya Maran. Without taking any name, he said that when the fans are already angry, then spending such a huge amount on a Pakistani player does not seem like the right decision. He also wrote, “I know how to handle brand and image, you can talk to me if needed.” His statement has gone viral on social media and different reactions are emerging on it.

Ruckus on social media

After this decision of Sunrisers, a lot of debate has erupted on social media. Some people called it right from the sporting point of view, while many users called it a wrong step. Even the news of the team’s social media account being suspended for some time came to light.

The ongoing tension between India and Pakistan became the reason

A major reason for this entire controversy is the long-running political and cricketing tension between India and Pakistan. The entry of Pakistani players in IPL has been banned since 2008 and this issue always remains sensitive. At present, no major official statement has come from Sunrisers on this controversy, but it is clear that this decision has once again brought old issues of cricket and politics into discussion.

There is controversy after Sunrisers Leeds bought Pakistani player Abrar Ahmed. Indian fans are unhappy with this decision, because this franchise is owned by Sun Group. Sunil Gavaskar has also criticized the purchase of a Pakistani player by the Indian owner. Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) sources told TelecomAsia that Abrar is not worried or worried about this controversy.

Sunil Gavaskar had criticized the purchase of Abrar Ahmed by Sunrisers Leads. They believe that this money will also go to the Pakistan government, which will be used against Indians only. Although Pakistan Cricket Board and Abrar have maintained silence on this controversy, but according to sources the inside story has come to light. According to the report, Abrar and PCB are not worried because this matter is between the ECB and the franchise.

PCB sources told TelecomAsia.net that the reaction coming after the purchase of Abrar Ahmed by Sunrisers is not surprising as it was probable. But Abrar is not at all worried about this controversy.

Quoting sources, the report said, “Abrar had registered his name in The Hundred League so that he could show his skills to the world. He is among the top-3 bowlers in the T20 International rankings, that is why he has been bought by the team and he deserves it.” Sources also said that Sunrisers Leeds coach Daniel Vettori spoke to Abrar Ahmed after the auction and asked him to stay in constant touch and be ready to give his best performance.

After the auction, Vettori had said, “We did not buy Adil Rashid, he was our first choice. After this we started looking for a foreign spinner. We had an eye on 4-5 players, in which Abrar was also included. We are happy that we bought him.

Earlier, the ECB had warned the franchises that if it is proved that any player was ignored in The Hundred auction on the basis of his nationality, disciplinary action can be taken against them.

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After India’s spectacular victory in the T20 World Cup 2026, sharp reactions are coming out in the cricket world of Pakistan. Team India has won the T20 World Cup title for the third time by easily defeating New Zealand in the final match played at Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad. Batting first, India had put 255 runs on the board. After this, the New Zealand team, which came to chase the target, was bundled out for 159 runs by the Indian bowlers.

After this victory, former Pakistan cricketer Ahmed Shehzad has sharply criticized his own team by questioning its system. He said that behind India’s success is not only talent but also a strong cricket system, whereas the biggest shortcoming in Pakistan is this system.

Shahzad praised India’s system

During a conversation in a Pakistani TV show, Ahmed Shehzad said that new players are continuously emerging in India because domestic cricket and selection process is strong there. Giving examples, he said that players like Sanju Samson and Ishan Kishan did not get many opportunities, but when they got the chance, they gave match-winning performances on a big stage like the World Cup.

Shahzad said that Sanju Samson became the player of the tournament by batting brilliantly throughout the tournament. Ishan Kishan also came into the team on the basis of his performance in domestic cricket and made important contribution. He also mentioned Abhishek Sharma’s fast innings in the final and said that despite the pressure in the big match, he had put the team in a strong position by scoring 52 runs in 21 balls.

Questions raised on Pakistan’s system

Criticizing his team, Ahmed Shahzad said that players in Pakistan are not prepared for big matches in the same way as they are in India. He sarcastically said that Pakistan often becomes happy after defeating teams like Zimbabwe, Kenya or Uganda, whereas India constantly plays big matches against strong teams.

Made a big statement regarding the score also

Shahzad also mentioned the difference in thinking between India and Pakistan. He said that the Indian team enters the field with the intention of scoring more than 250 runs, whereas the Pakistani team often leaves the responsibility of saving the match to the bowlers after scoring 170 or 180 runs. He believes that due to this thinking, there is a big difference in the performance of the two teams.

Separate ranking also advised

At the end of his statement, Shahzad said sarcastically that if Pakistan has to play like this then ICC should make a separate ranking for them, in which teams like Zimbabwe, Kenya and Uganda would be included.

The Hundred auction: The long list of players for the upcoming season of England’s famous T20 league The Hundred has been released. This time 247 players have been included in the auction, out of which the entry of 14 cricketers from Pakistan has created a special discussion. Now the biggest question is whether Indian-owned franchises will bid on these players or not.

Haris Rauf is the biggest name in the marquee category.

Pakistan’s fast bowler Haris Rauf has been placed in the ‘Marquee Players International’ category, where his base price has been fixed at 1 lakh pounds. This high-profile group also includes big players like Aiden Markram, David Miller, Daryl Mitchell and Sunil Narine.

Six cricketers from Pakistan have been successful in making it to the list of top-50 players. These include names like Shaheen Afridi, Shadab Khan, Usman Tariq, Sam Ayub and Abrar Ahmed. The interesting thing is that the number of players from Pakistan in this list is more than players from any other foreign country.

Debate increased due to news of ‘shadow ban’

Recent reports had claimed that some teams with owners associated with the Indian Premier League may avoid signing Pakistani players. Among these, the names of franchises like MI London, Sunrisers Leeds, Manchester Super Giants and Southern Brave have come to the fore.

However, the England and Wales Cricket Board has made it clear that no player will be excluded from the auction on the basis of his nationality. The board said that the selection will be based only on performance, availability and the needs of the team.

Did not get any contract last year

This was the first time in the 2025 draft that no Pakistani player got a contract. Earlier, many Pakistani players were part of this league in the 2024 and 2023 seasons. However, this time the situation is a little different because the timing of the tournament may clash with Pakistan’s Test series, which may affect the availability of some players.

Now everyone’s eyes are on the auction. It will be interesting to see whether Pakistani players will get a chance in The Hundred this time or not.

Photo Tag – 14 Pakistan Players in The Hundred 2026 Auction