The Hundred 2026: For the first time since its inaugural season in 2021, players went under the hammer after the first-ever auction of The Hundred 2026. The auction has grabbed all the unnecessary limelight on the internet, however, for all the wrong reasons. The Hundred 2026 men’s auction created massive drama when Sunrisers Leeds, owned by Sun TV and Kavya Maran, signed a Pakistani leg-spinner, Abrar Ahmed.
Why is Kavya Maran Trending?
The Sun TV-owned franchise bought the bowler for USD 255,000 (around INR 2.34 crore). For the unversed, Sun TV and Kavya Maran are the same group that owns the franchise Sunrisers Hyderabad in the Indian Premier League. Abrar Ahmed became the first Pakistani player to join an Indian-owned franchise in The Hundred. However, Kavya’s decision has left the Indian fans angry.
Meanwhile, fans quickly took to social media to express their anger, with many trolling both the franchise and Kavya Maran. The hashtag “Boycott Sunrisers Hyderabad”, “Boycott Kavya Maran” soon began trending on X (formerly Twitter), as several users even called for protests during the upcoming Indian Premier League season.
Check out the reactions of fans:
There is a limit to troll Kavya Maran , Please cross that limit. pic.twitter.com/WSYU2r6RwV
— Vivek (@Hailkohli18) March 12, 2026
🚨 Meet Kavya Maran and SRH.
They have a problem with CSK using Anirudh’s songs for video edits, but on the other side, they don’t have a problem while picking Pakistani player Abrar Ahmed in the Hundred League, who was openly used to mock Indian soldiers during the Operation… pic.twitter.com/l8oXNhysog
— Selfless⁴⁵ (@SelflessCricket) March 12, 2026
Over 11 years I’ve been a constant supporter even though many of my neighbours & majority of my friends were RCB CSK fans .
Consider the little fangirl inside me dead.This bastard literally mocked our army and kavya maran shameless lady picked her.
Fu€k you kavya maran & SRH https://t.co/XNqwJWxw5s— Anisha Reddy (@Pitch_Profit) March 12, 2026
On 1st March 2025, Pakistani cricketer Abrar Ahmed posted a photo holding a cup of tea with caption “Fantastic Tea”.
He was mocking IAF Wing Commander Abhinandan, as 1st March is the day in 2019 when India compelled Pakistan to release him.
Kavya Maran’s Sunrisers Leeds has… pic.twitter.com/sffXRx7MTU
— Anshul Saxena (@AskAnshul) March 12, 2026
🚨 SUNRISERS LEEDS ACCOUNT SUSPENDED 🚨
The official X account of Sunrisers Leeds was suspended after facing heavy outrage for buying Abrar Ahmed in The Hundred Auction 🤯
Indian’s are seriously angry with Kavya Maran’s decision of buying Abrar Ahmed pic.twitter.com/YyofKTY88r
— Fan Account Richard Kettlebourogh (@RichKettle07) March 13, 2026
SunRisers Leeds is owned by Sun Group of India.
Kalanithi Maran and his daughter Kavya Maran should face consequences for buying a Pakistani player. https://t.co/q9wwLkrlxL pic.twitter.com/zPMBukJ3cH
— BALA (@erbmjha) March 12, 2026
Sunrisers Leeds (Kavya Maran’s franchise) just bought Pakistani spinner Abrar Ahmed for £190k in The Hundred 2026 auction.
The same Abrar who mocked Wg Cdr Abhinandan Varthaman during Operation Sindoor by posting a tea pic captioned ‘Fantastic Tea’. Priorities? pic.twitter.com/y0Y3jhYqxS
— Megh Updates 🚨™ (@MeghUpdates) March 12, 2026
🚨 SUNRISERS LEEDS FRANCHISE OFFICIAL ACCOUNT SUSPENDED 🚨
– Last night at 8:30 PM, Sunrisers picked Abrar Ahmed in their team, and by 2:00 AM their Twitter account was suspended 😭😭.
– This shows the power of Indian people. Now Kavya Maran will understand what people’s… pic.twitter.com/sSPN475K6E
— Bemba Tavuma 🐐 (@gaandfaadtits) March 13, 2026
Abrar Ahmed has repeatedly mocked Abhinandan and India on his social media.
Kavya Maran picked him for PKR 6.84 crore
Shame on @SunRisers pic.twitter.com/uSmOq43p4R
— Kreately.in (@KreatelyMedia) March 12, 2026
SRK watching Kavya Maran buy Abrar Ahmed without any repercussions pic.twitter.com/yY3tTxQJSs
— Sagar (@sagarcasm) March 12, 2026
ICT fans with Kavya Maran after she bought Abrar Ahmed for Sunrisers leeds team: pic.twitter.com/m7yN2bDQJ3
— Raja Babu (@GaurangBhardwa1) March 12, 2026
Official X Account Of Sunrisers Leeds Suspended After Sunrisers Leeds Bought Abrar Ahmed During The Hundred 2026 Auction
Just a few hours after the announcement on Thursday, the official X account of Sunrisers Leeds was suddenly suspended. Anyone attempting to open the page now is shown a message that reads:
“Account suspended. X suspends accounts that violate the X rules.”
So far, X has not released any official explanation for the suspension. However, many believe the action may have been triggered by a wave of reports and backlash from users upset about the signing of Abrar Ahmed.
No Shadow Ban on Pakistan Players
Even though political tensions between the two countries remain high, reports in the British media have suggested that Indian franchise owners might place bids for Pakistani players.
In other leagues linked to IPL owners, Pakistani cricketers have rarely been seen. For example, in the International League T20, no Pakistani player has represented teams owned by IPL franchises. The UAE-based competition has only one team with non-Indian ownership, the Desert Vipers, which is owned by the Glazer Family.
A similar situation exists in the SA20, where all six teams are controlled by IPL owners, and no Pakistani cricketer has played in the tournament so far.
Pakistani players have also been absent from the Indian Premier League since the 2009 season. After the 2008 Mumbai attacks, they were no longer part of the competition, despite several of them being picked during the league’s inaugural season in 2008.
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