Abrar Ahmed’s play in The Hundred 2026 league is uncertain despite being selected by Sunrisers Leeds. For the first time, an IPL franchise-backed team invested in a Pakistani cricketer ahead of the new season.
After a bidding war with Trent Rockets for a sum of £190,000 (approximately PKR 7 crore), Kavya Maran’s team added the mystery spinner. Kavya Maran, co-owner of IPL franchise Sunrisers Hyderabad, had to face a lot of criticism on social media platforms.
Why is Abrar Ahmed uncertain for Men’s The Hundred 2026 tournament?
Now the question is whether Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) will allow Abrar Ahmed to participate in The Hundred tournament? If the Pakistan cricket team selects the spinner for the West Indies tour, then, he will not be able to play in the tournament. Before participating in the league, the mystery spinner will also have to obtain a No Objection Certificate (NOC) from the board.
The Pakistan men’s cricket team is scheduled to tour the West Indies from July 15 to August 7, 2026, for a two-match Test series as part of the ICC World Test Championship cycle. The tour also includes one practice match.
The practice matches and the second Test match are scheduled to be held at the Brian Lara Cricket Academy, and the first Test will be held at the Queen’s Park Oval, Trinidad. CWI vice-president Azim Basrath had earlier said that this Test series would mark a significant comeback at these venues.
On the other hand, The Hundred 2026 will take place from July 21 to August 16, which means the league and Test series schedules are mostly overlapping. If the PCB refuses to give the much-needed NOC to Abrar Ahmed, he will have to rule himself out of The Hundred.
He may not play The Hundred: A Source
“Given the fact that Pakistan is playing a two-match Test series against the West Indies, he probably won’t play The Hundred,” a source told The Times of India.
“It’s a lot of money. His agent has put his name in the auction, which means he is confident of getting the NOC. He is one of the few current Pakistani cricketers who has a good relationship with the PCB chief. His chances of playing in The Hundred are 50-50,” a PCB source further told the website.
Once we missed Adil Rashid, who was a priority initially, we obviously jumped into the overseas spinner category – Daniel Vettori
Sunrisers Leeds are happy to have the services of Abrar Ahmed. Sunrisers Hyderabad head coach Daniel Vettori revealed that they were looking at the departure of the spinner after the absence of Adil Rashid.
Sunrisers Hyderabad head coach Daniel Vettori explained the reason behind the franchise’s bid for Abrar Ahmed, saying, “Once we missed Adil Rashid, who was the priority initially, we obviously jumped into the overseas spinner category. We were looking at four or five players and Abrar was one of them. We are very happy to have him.”
Read more: Babar Azam, Fakhar Zaman showed injury? The investigation will officially begin after the T20 World Cup 2026.
