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Mohsin Naqvi, Abrar Ahmed and Kavya Maran - (Source: AFP/X)
The franchise cricket season is on, and now eyes are on the 6th season of The Hundred, which begins on July 21. Notably, it will be the first season, where the privately-owned teams will play in England’s premier franchise T20 league. The ECB recently conduced their first-ever Hundred auction, where Abrar Ahmed grabbed all the limelight.
For the unversed, four of the eight teams are partially or fully owned by IPL teams. Thus, it was expected that Pakistan stars might go unsold, which is usually the case in leagues where IPL franchises have a presence. However, much to everyone’s surprise, Kavya Maran-backed Sunrisers Leeds bought Pakistan’s Abrar Ahmed.
The Men in Orange splurged £190,000 (approximately Rs 2.3 crore) to buy Abrar Ahmed and faced huge criticism in India for not respecting the nation’s sentiment, which were against collaborating or engaging with Pakistan nationals ever since the Pahalgam attack.
Abrar Ahmed Receives NOC For The Hundred 2026
Despite the backlash, Sunrisers Leeds didn’t back off from their stance and backed the right-arm leg-spinner. There were doubts whether the PCB itself would allow Abrar to go and play under Indian ownership. However, in the latest event, the Mohsin Naqvi-led board have granted an NOC to the 27-year-old.
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PCB handed out clearance documents to 21 different Pakistani cricketers to participate across multiple domestic tournaments, which include Abrar Ahmed. Therefore, the Pakistan spinner is available to play the Hundred 2026.
Abrar Ahmed In Nation or Franchise Cricket Dilemma
Despite the NOC, Abrar Ahmed is confused about whether to play franchise cricket or choose nation above all. For the unversed, Pakistan will travel to the West Indies for a Test series in August, which will overlap with the Hundred.
Therefore, Abrar and his agent are in a fix whether to opt for Pakistan Tests or go and play for Sunrisers Leeds. Notably, the PCB have no objection, but it will not go well with the board.
Abrar and his agent are in a fix because if he is selected for the Test team to play in the West Indies, it will affect his participation in The Hundred, which will start four days before the first Test," a source said while speaking to The Telecom Asia Sport.
Sunrisers Hyderabad Nearly Forcing Abrar Ahmed To Play
A report from Telecom Asia stated that the Kavya Maran-owned franchise is also pushing Abrar Ahmed to prioritise The Hundred.
“The Sunrisers Leeds owners have already faced criticism from 1.4 billion people and stood by their decision. It is important that Abrar plays in The Hundred," the source told Telecom Asia Sport.
Now, the decision lies with the player whether he wants to skip Hundred or not. However, if Abrar Ahmed skips the Hundred, he might suffer a heavy fine.
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