BCCI distances itself from Abrar Ahmed signing
The signing of Pakistan spinner Abrar Ahmed by Sunrisers Leeds during The Hundred auction has drawn attention in India, particularly because the franchise is linked to the Indian Premier League through its ownership group. Addressing the issue, Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) Vice President Rajeev Shukla made it clear that the board has no authority over decisions taken by franchises in overseas leagues.
Speaking to ANI on Friday, Shukla emphasised that the board’s jurisdiction applies only to the IPL and does not extend to global franchise competitions. “Our domain is limited to the IPL. We have nothing to do with what they do in a league outside that. How can we interfere with them signing a player in a foreign league. That’s up to them. It’s purely up to the franchise who have bought a team outside India. If they are taking some player outside India in that league, we are least concerned because, in IPL there is no such player,” he said.
#WATCH | Delhi | On Sunrisers Leeds signing Pakistan spinner Abrar Ahmed for the The Hundred 2026 season, BCCI Vice President Rajeev Shukla says, "…Our domain is limited to IPL, we are not concerned by what is happening in other leagues…It is clearly upto the franchise that… pic.twitter.com/ppfmbxN1w3
— ANI (@ANI) March 13, 2026
Abrar was secured by Sunrisers Leeds during the player auction held in London, where franchises assembled their squads for the upcoming edition of The Hundred. The Pakistan international was eventually signed after a bidding contest with Trent Rockets.
Auction dynamics led to Sunrisers Leeds move
Sunrisers Leeds’ decision to target Abrar came after the franchise missed out on its preferred spin option earlier in the auction. The team had initially pursued England leg-spinner Adil Rashid before shifting focus to overseas alternatives once that plan fell through.
Head Coach Daniel Vettori explained that the strategy evolved during the auction itself as the team reassessed available options. “Once we missed out on Adil Rashid [to Southern Brave], who was a priority early on, then we obviously jumped into the overseas spinner. There were four or five guys that we were looking at and Abrar was one of them,” Vettori told reporters after the auction.
The auction took place at Piccadilly Lights in London and marked a notable moment in the competition, as a franchise associated with an IPL ownership group selected a Pakistani international.
Hundred auction highlights growing global player pool
Abrar Ahmed was not the only Pakistan player to be picked during the auction. Leg-spinner Usman Tariq had earlier been signed by Birmingham Phoenix for GBP 140,000 (approx. US$ 188K), becoming the first Pakistani player chosen in the event.
The selections were viewed by some within the game as a sign of the tournament’s open recruitment model, with coaches pointing to the competitive value Pakistani players can bring to the league.
London Spirit Head Coach Andy Flower welcomed the development, describing the inclusion of Pakistani players as a positive for the competition. “It is a really good thing that Usman Tariq was signed, and then Abrar Ahmed by Sunrisers Leeds,” Flower told BBC Sport.
Flower also argued that the presence of players from Pakistan reflects the broader cricketing merit-based approach adopted by the league’s franchises. “It is a really good thing for the tournament. Pakistan players are highly talented and we want a fair and equitable process, and this is good evidence of that. I enjoyed watching that process,” he added.
The 2026 edition of The Hundred is scheduled to run from July 21 to August 16, with the draft once again highlighting the tournament’s increasingly international recruitment strategy.
