Tezzbuzz Desk- Even before the start of the IPL 2026 season, Sunrisers Hyderabad owner Kavya Maran is embroiled in controversies. Sunrisers Group’s franchise Sunrisers Leeds bought Pakistani spinner Abrar Ahmed in England’s new T-20 league ‘The Hundred’, after which there was a storm of criticism on social media.
On Thursday, March 12, the Players Auction for the men’s tournament of ‘The Hundred’ was held for the first time in England. In this auction, 27-year-old Pakistan leg spinner Abrar Ahmed was bought by Sunrisers Leads for 1,90,000 pounds (about Rs 2.3 crore). Kavya Maran was also present at the auction table during this time.
After the auction, criticism intensified on social media. Many fans said that the Indian-owned franchise will not buy any Pakistani player, but the ECB had already clarified that the franchise will buy players on the basis of ability and not their nationality.
Just hours after the auction, Sunrisers Leeds’ X (formerly Twitter) account was suddenly suspended. It was written on the account that it has been suspended due to violation of X’s rules, but at the moment it is not clear which rule was violated. This move further escalated the controversy.
A total of 13 Pakistani players were included in the auction, but among them only Abrar Ahmed and spinner Usman Tariq were bought. Usman was included in their team by Birmingham Phoenix.
This controversy arose because Indian-owned franchises associated with IPL have generally avoided buying Pakistani players. After the decision to buy Abrar Ahmed, the debate between fans and the cricket community has intensified on social media.
At present, Sunrisers Leads and Kavya Maran have not given any official statement on this issue. But this controversy has already become a big topic for IPL 2026 and The Hundred.
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