LONDON (Kashmir English): Pakistan’s mystery spinner Abrar Ahmed joins the Indian-owned Hundred team for £190,000 (about $255,000) in the men’s The Hundred player auction held in London.
According to the details, he was signed by the franchise Northern Superchargers, which is now owned by the Indian media group Sun TV Network. Reports say the company took full control of the team last year.
Abrar Becomes First Pakistani Player to Join Indian-Owned Team
With this signing, Abrar became the first Pakistani player to join an Indian-owned team in the tournament. The deal came during the opening session of the inaugural men’s Hundred auction.
Sun TV earlier purchased a 49 percent stake from the England and Wales Cricket Board and the remaining 51 percent from Yorkshire County Cricket Club. The total deal was reported at around £100 million.
Before the auction, media reports discussed a possible “shadow ban” on Pakistan players by franchises owned by Indian Premier League investors. However, team officials said selections would depend only on performance, availability, and squad needs.
Head coach Daniel Vettori said the team targeted an overseas spinner after missing England star Adil Rashid in early bidding.
Vettori said Abrar impressed the team because of his variations and ability to take wickets during the power play and middle overs. He added that Australian players who recently faced Abrar also gave positive feedback about the spinner.
Earlier in the auction, Pakistan spinner Usman Tariq was signed by Birmingham Phoenix for £140,000. No active Pakistan international has played in the Indian Premier League since 2008 due to long-standing political tensions between Pakistan and India. Pakistani newspapers often highlight this issue when reporting on cross-league cricket deals.
The Hundred Men’s auction players
Birmingham Phoenix
Jacob Bethell, £340,000
Rehan Ahmed, £250,000
Donovan Ferreira, £210,000
Saqib Mahmood, £150,000
Usman Tariq, £140,000
Mitchell Owen, £130,000
Joe Clarke, £85,000
Jordan Thompson, £60,000
Will Smeed, £55,000
London Spirit
James Coles, £390,000
Liam Livingstone, £350,000
Jamie Overton, £225,000
Adam Zampa, £190,000
Dewald Brevis, £185,000
Jonny Bairstow, £160,000
David Willey, £120,000
Adam Milne, £50,000
Mason Crane, £31,000
Manchester Super Giants
Jos Buttler, £350,000
Heinrich Klaasen, £250,000
Josh Tongue, £200,000
Aiden Markram, £200,000
Noor Ahmad, £175,000
Liam Dawson, £175,000
Leus du Plooy, £120,000
Tim Seifert, £100,000
Sonny Baker, £95,000
Gus Atkinson, £70,000
Tom Moores, £50,000
Tom Hartley, £35,000
MI London
Sam Curran, £350,000
Tom Curran, £260,000
Will Jacks, £250,000
James Vince, £190,000
Nicholas Pooran, £175,000
Rashid Khan, £175,000
Nathan Sowter, £130,000
Trent Boult, £100,000
Southern Brave
Jofra Archer, £400,000
Jamie Smith, £300,000
Adil Rashid, £250,000
Chris Jordan, £160,000
Marcus Stoinis, £150,000
Luke Wood, £130,000
David Miller, £110,000
Tristan Stubbs, £100,000
Thomas Rew, £80,000
Ben McKinney, £45,000
Sunrisers Leeds
Harry Brook, £465,000
Dan Lawrence, £210,000
Mitchell Marsh, £200,000
Abrar Ahmed, £190,000
Zak Crawley, £180,000
Ryan Rickelton, £150,000
Nathan Ellis, £145,000
Brydon Carse, £140,000
Matthew Potts, £75,000
Benny Howell, £50,000
Tom Lawes, £40,000
Tom Alsop, £31,000
Trent Rockets
Tim David, £350,000
Tom Banton, £225,000
Ben Duckett, £200,000
Mitch Santner, £175,000
Finn Allen, £160,000
David Payne, £130,000
Craig Overton, £120,000
Lewis Gregory, £55,000
Welsh Fire
Phil Salt, £450,000
Jordan Cox, £300,000
Marco Jansen, £250,000
Joe Root, £240,000
Rachin Ravindra, £140,000
Chris Woakes, £110,000
Tom Kohler-Cadmore, £80,000
Ben Kellaway, £37,500
