Leeds Sunrisers’ official X account suspended shortly after signing Abrar Ahmed

Sunrisers face backlash on social media after signing Pakistan mystery spinner Abra Ahmed at the inaugural 2026 Men’s Top 100 auction on Thursday. Abrar became the first Pakistani player to be signed by an Indian team in the top 100, with the Sunrisers paying $255,000.The move angered many Indian fans, who criticized the Sunrisers and team owner Kavya Malan for signing a Pakistani player, saying it went against national sentiments.During the auction, Kavya Malan was seen sitting at the table with head coach Daniel Vettori. Whether Indian teams would bid for Pakistani players had come under intense scrutiny amid reports of a possible shadow ban.Shortly after acquiring Abrar, Sunrisers Leeds’ official account on X was suspended. The platform did not give a specific reason, but users saw an “account suspended” message when they visited the page, which said “X has suspended accounts that violate X rules.”Last year, Indian media company Sun TV bought a 49% stake from the ECB and a 51% stake from Yorkshire, fully taking over Leeds’ franchise in The Hundred (formerly known as the Northern Superchargers).Sunrisers’ other franchises Sunrisers Hyderabad (IPL) and Sunrisers Eastern Cape (SA20) have never signed an active Pakistani player before. In the auction, Sunrisers won the bidding war with Trent Rockets to acquire Abrar Ahmed.