SRH Official Issues Statement After Buying Abrar Ahmed In The Hundred Auction

Abrar Ahmed [Source: AFP]

The head coach of Sunrisers Hyderabad, Daniel Vettori, has finally spoken about the reason behind the franchise’s decision to sign Pakistan spinner Abrar Ahmed. Notably, the discussion began after the first auction of the new private ownership era of The Hundred took place on March 12, 2026. 

The event was expected to be a big moment for the England and Wales Cricket Board. However, the auction soon created a heated debate among fans in India.

Sunrisers Hyderabad buy Abrar Ahmed

Notably, Sunrisers Leeds is owned by the Chennai-based Sun Group, which also manages the IPL team Sunrisers Hyderabad. 

During the auction, the franchise bought Abrar Ahmed, which led to strong reactions online. This signing became historic. Abrar Ahmed turned into the first Pakistan player to join an Indian-owned team in The Hundred.

Before the auction, all eight teams in the tournament had already agreed on one principle. Their player selections would depend on performance, availability, and the team’s needs. Therefore, franchises entered the auction with the goal of building balanced squads for the upcoming season.

Sunrisers Hyderabad previous record

The Sunrisers Hyderabad brand already runs teams in multiple cricket leagues around the world. These include Sunrisers Hyderabad in the IPL and Sunrisers Eastern Cape in South Africa’s SA20. 

Interestingly, neither of these teams had ever signed an active Pakistan international player in the past.

During The Hundred auction, Sunrisers Leeds competed with the Trent Rockets to secure Abrar Ahmed. 

The bidding quickly turned competitive. Both franchises showed strong interest in the mystery spinner. Eventually, Sunrisers Leeds won the contest and signed him for £190,000, which is roughly ₹2.34 crore.

Sunrisers Hyderabad co-owner Kavya Maran attended the auction in person. She also actively participated in the bidding process that led to Abrar’s signing.

Also Read: Kavya Maran's Sunrisers Suffer Consequence For Buying Abrar Ahmed At Hundred Auction

Daniel Vettori explains the decision

After the auction ended, head coach Daniel Vettori shared the thinking behind the move in an interview with BBC Sport. According to him, Abrar Ahmed brings a unique skill set to the team. His bowling includes many variations. 

"He's unique in the amount of variations and a lot of, particularly domestic players, won't have seen him before," Vettori said.

"We came into the auction with every player available to us. As soon as this option was available there were a number of very good spinners from international teams that were an option, but Abrar was a priority," he added.

Pakistan players in the auction

It is important to note that Abrar Ahmed was not the only Pakistan cricketer involved in the auction. Another mystery spinner, Usman Tariq, was bought by Birmingham Phoenix for £140,000. This franchise has no links with the IPL, therefore the signing attracted less attention.

Meanwhile, several well-known Pakistan players went unsold. These included fast bowler Haris Rauf, all-rounder Saim Ayub, and spinner Shadab Khan. In addition, left-arm pacer Shaheen Shah Afridi withdrew from the auction earlier.

Meanwhile, the decision to sign Abrar Ahmed led to a strong reaction online. Many Indian fans shared their opinions on social media platforms. 

Several users criticised the Sunrisers franchise along with team co-owner Kavya Maran. The criticism mainly focused on the decision to sign a Pakistan player.

Meanwhile, the upcoming season of The Hundred is scheduled to take place from July 21 to August 16, 2026.

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