NEW DELHI: Pakistan spinner Abrar Ahmed was purchased by SunRisers Leeds for £190,000 on the Hundred Participant Public sale 2026 on Thursday, placing an finish to hypothesis that groups linked to the Indian Premier League (IPL) would possibly keep away from signing Pakistani gamers. The franchise, co-owned by Kavya Maran, competed strongly within the bidding and beat Trent Rockets to safe the thriller spinner.Earlier within the public sale, Usman Tariq grew to become the primary Pakistani participant to be picked when Birmingham Phoenix signed him for £140,000.

Nonetheless, a number of different Pakistan stars didn’t discover patrons. Quick bowler Haris Rauf and all-rounders Shadab Khan and Saim Ayub remained unsold on the time of writing.In the meantime, Pakistan ODI captain Shaheen Shah Afridi had already withdrawn from the public sale earlier than bidding started. The ECB confirmed that Quinton de Kock, Sunil Narine, AM Ghazanfar, and Peter Siddle additionally pulled out. The seemingly motive was scheduling clashes with the Caribbean Premier League (CPL) and different worldwide commitments.Afridi’s withdrawal nonetheless left 13 Pakistani gamers obtainable within the males’s public sale pool. The scenario had drawn consideration after hypothesis that franchises with IPL hyperlinks would possibly keep away from choosing Pakistani gamers.Responding to the controversy, the ECB and the eight franchises issued a joint clarification, saying picks could be primarily based on “efficiency, availability, and the wants of every crew.”Pakistan additionally had a disappointing consequence within the ladies’s public sale held a day earlier. Not one of the Pakistani ladies gamers had been chosen. Muneeba Ali, Diana Baig, Sadia Iqbal, and captain Fatima Sana had all entered the public sale with a base worth of £15,000, however they didn’t obtain any bids.