Pakistan spinner Abrar Ahmed‘s participation in The Hundred and donning the Sunrisers Leeds’ shirt remain in a limbo. This comes after the backlash the Indian-owned franchise received on social media for signing a Pakistan international to play in their ranks.
Abrar was picked up by the Kavya Maran-owned side at The Hundred auction for a fee of GBP 190,000, making him the joint-tenth most expensive signing.
Despite the backlash and the negativity surrounding the signing, there is still a chance that the spinner will not take field for the Sunrisers Leeds.
Every player competing at a franchise tournament needs a No Objection Certificate (NOC) from their cricketing governing body, in the case of Abrar, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB).
Pakistan are scheduled to tour the West Indies between July 15 to August 7 to play a two-match Test series. The series coincides with The Hundred which is set to take place from July 21 to August 16. Therefore, there is a chance that Abrar does not get a NOC from the PCB to play for the Headingley-based outfit.
However, knowing the situation in hand, Abrar was part of The Hundred auction alongside other Pakistan international stars like Haris Rauf and Usman Tariq.
“He might not play The Hundred, given the fact that Pakistan is playing a two-match Test series against West Indies,” a source was quoted as saying to the Times of India.
“It is a lot of money. His agent has put his name in the auction, which means he is confident of getting the NOC. He is also among the few current Pakistani cricketers who have a good relationship with the PCB chief. The chances of him playing in The Hundred are 50-50,” the source added.
Outside of playing in the Pakistan Super League (PSL), Abrar has little exposure of playing in the franchise circuit around the world. He has played just one game in the Bangladesh Premier League for Comilla Victorians and only twice for the San Francisco Unicorns in Major League Cricket in the United States in 2024.
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