Kavya faces backlash after India’s Leeds Sunrisers acquire Pakistani player

New Delhi: Pakistan Spinning Mills Abra Ahmed Signed by Leeds Sunrisers in the 2026 Hundreds Auction, but the move sparked a backlash online. After the team announced the signing on X, the post was flooded with negative comments, with some fans criticizing an IPL-related team for selecting a Pakistani player.

Some posts even targeted Leeds Sunrisers co-owner Kavya Maran for wooing Pakistan bowlers. Leeds Sunrisers and Hyderabad Sunrisers are owned by the same group indian premier leaguebought the 27-year-old leg-spinner for £190,000. Meanwhile, another Pakistani spinner, Usman Tariq, was picked up by Birmingham Phoenix for £140,000.Ahead of the auction, there was speculation that the franchise would be tied to intense pulsed light Signing of Pakistani cricketers may be avoided due to political tensions between India and Pakistan. Pakistani players have not played in the IPL since 2009, with the two countries only facing each other in global tournaments.Earlier in the debate, the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) and the eight teams clarified that selection would be based purely on merit. The draft will be based on “performance, availability and the needs of each team,” according to a joint statement.Despite signing Ahmed, several Pakistani players have had mixed results at the auction. Fast bowler Haris Rauf failed to sell at his base price of £100,000, while star pacer Shaheen Shah Afridi withdrew before the auction began.Pakistan also performed poorly in the women’s auction held the previous day, with Fatima Sana and Sadia Iqbal failing to attract any bids.Elsewhere in the auction, London Spirit paid £390,000 for uncapped England all-rounder James Cole, while Wales Flames spent a combined £540,000 on batsman Jordan Cox and former England captain Joe Root.The 2026 Top 100 season, which includes both men’s and women’s competitions, will begin on July 21 and run for four weeks.