Sunrisers Leeds' X Account Suspended Amid Backlash Over Purchase Of Pakistan's Abrar Ahmed In The Hundred

The Hundred's Sunrisers Leeds franchise's official X account is suspended amid severe backlash from Indian fans over the purchase of Pakistan player Abrar Ahmed for GBP 190,000 (INR 2.35 Cr).

The reason for the account suspension is not known yet, but if you visit the page, it says that the account has been suspended for violating X's rules.

Sunrisers Leeds, which is owned by the Indian media group Sun TV, is the sister franchise of IPL's Sunrisers Hyderabad. They have become the first team to sign a Pakistani player in the Hundred - a move that has triggered the Indian fans on social media, who accuse the media company and Kavya Maran of hurting their sentiments.

Abrar Ahmed, on several occasions, has taken a jibe at the Indian Air Force and fans by either posting a picture with a cup of tea with the caption "Tea is fantastic" (referring to Indian pilot Abhinandan Varthaman's video in Pakistan during temporary captivity) or making videos of drinking team with fellow Pakistani teammates.

Kavya Maran, who is the co-owner of the Sunrisers Hyderabad franchise in the IPL and the daughter of Sun TV network tycoon Kalanithi Maran, was present in the Hundred auction when her team brought Abrar Ahmed, which is why she has become the centre of attraction of the negative campaign online against her IPL franchise.

The Sun TV Group has a 100 percent stake in the Sunrisers Leeds franchise, which was earlier known as Northern Superchargers. They bought a 49 percent stake from the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) and the remaining from Yorkshire to garner full ownership and control over the franchise.

This move has dented the popularity of the Hyderabad franchise just days before the auction, as SRH lost 100,000 Instagram followers in one day.

Earlier, there were reports of a shadow ban on Pakistani players in leagues, wherever Indian owners are involved. The English Cricket Board released a statement saying that the Hundred is an inclusive league and they'll ensure that there's no discrimination in the auction based on nationality of a player.

Sunrisers Leeds On Picking Abrar Ahmed

Sunrisers Leeds' Head coach Daniel Vettori provided the rationale behind picking Abrah Ahmed in the squad. He said that he deliberated about Abrar with the Australian players, and after positive feedback, the management made the call to induct him into the squad.

He also clarified that there were no special discussions held in the franchise on whether or not they should go for a Pakistani player.

Abrar Ahmed was the second Pakistani player to be picked in the Hundred auction after Usman Tariq - who was raked in by Birmingham Phoenix for GBP 140,000. Saim Ayub , Shadab Khan, Naseem Shah and Haris Rauf were some of the big Pakistani players, who remained unsold in the auction.