Sunrisers Leeds head coach Daniel Vettori has defended the decision to buy Pakistan spinner Abrar Ahmed, saying the franchise is pleased to sign him after failing to get their primary target at The Hundred auction. Vettori, who is also the coach of the IPL franchise Sunrisers Hyderabad, revealed the reason behind getting Abrar on board.
Sunrisers Leeds were targeting England spinner Adil Rashid, but he was snapped up by Southern Brave, with Abrar remaining one of the best options.
“We missed out on Adil Rashid, and then we had no option but to sign an overseas spinner. There were four or five players that we are looking at, and Abrar was one of them,” Vettori said. “We are pleased to get him,” he added.
The franchise, owned by Sun Group, which Kalanithi Maran heads, secured the services of the Pakistan player for INR 2.34 crore. Kavya Maran was present at the auction table in London as Leeds outbid Trent Rickets to sign Abrar.
Harry Brook is the captain of the Sunrisers Leeds. Meanwhile, Indian fans are not pleased with the Indian owners and are threatening to boycott Sunrisers Hyderabad in the Indian Premier League 2026. None of the other Indian-linked teams in the league signed a Pakistani player during the auction.
Earlier, the ECB had warned the eight franchises of consequences if they intentionally ignore Pakistan players in the auction. The teams clarified that selections would be based on merit and talent rather than country.
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