Sunrisers Leeds head coach Daniel Vettori has reacted to the reaction of Indian fans following the signing of Pakistan spinner Abrar Ahmed during The Hundred auction. The former Black Caps captain said that Abrar Ahmed’s selection was a pure cricketing decision based entirely on the supply and demand of the auction.
The Sun TV-owned team bought the bowler for US$255,000 on Thursday. He became the first Pakistani cricketer to be signed by an Indian-owned franchise in an English tournament. Angry fans criticized Sunrisers owner Kavya Maran on social media for ignoring national sentiments to secure the leg spinner.
Nice to have him – Daniel Vettori on Abrar Ahmed’s signature
Following the conclusion of the auction on Thursday, Daniel Vettori revealed that the team originally wanted to secure England spinner Adil Rashid. Vettori said that after Southern Brave bought Rashid, the management had to immediately look for reliable overseas spin-bowling options.
“Once we missed Adil Rashid [to Southern Brave]”That was the priority in the beginning, then we obviously jumped into the exotic spinner,” said Daniel Vettori. “There were four or five people we were looking at and Abrar was one of them. So glad to have him.”
The official Sunrisers Leeds account on X is completely suspended as the public outcry grows. Meanwhile, another Pakistani bowler Usman Tariq also won a contract in the auction when Birmingham Phoenix bought him for US$187,000.
All those people were on our radar – Daniel Vettori
While active Pakistan players are banned from the Indian Premier League due to geopolitical tensions, they continue to get opportunities in foreign leagues where Indian corporate groups have stakes in participating franchises.
Ahead of the auction, there were reports that Indian-owned teams would impose a shadow ban on Pakistani cricketers. However, Vettori confirmed that Sunrisers management never had any internal discussion about avoiding Pakistan players.
“We had planned for everyone involved in the auction. There was no discussion [about not picking Pakistan players] – It was just what was the best choice.”
“After missing out on Adil Rashid, the priority was to get a spin bowler and we didn’t think that quality was there in the local market, so we had to jump overseas. Rishad Hussain, Usman Tariq, Abrar Ahmed – they were all guys who were on our radar.”
Abrar Ahmed played in that Australian series recently – Daniel Vettori
Vettori, who also serves as Australia’s assistant coach, said he has gathered important feedback from Australian players. He faced Abrar Ahmed during a bilateral series ahead of the T20 World Cup 2026. Vettori said the mystery spinner has tricky variations.
“It’s a bit of a mystery. I don’t think there are many English players who have seen him, and he played in the Australian series recently.”
“The reaction from the Australians was that he would be difficult to face, with lots of variation and the ability to strike in the powerplay, and still to the middle stage, which I think is a key requirement at Headingley. It’s only the spinners who have really been successful there. Having him there will be a big difference to us.”
Sunrisers Eastern Cape and Sunrisers Hyderabad have never signed any active Pakistani player. Sun Group completed the full acquisition of Northern Superchargers last year.
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