SUNRISERS LEEDS SIGN ABRAR AHMED TO EASE FEARS OF PAKISTAN STARS SNUB IN HUNDRED

Fears of Pakistani players being frozen out of The Hundred proved unfounded at the inaugural men’s auction where spinner Abrar Ahmed was signed by Indian-owned Sunrisers Leeds and Usman Tariq joined Birmingham Phoenix.

In financial terms, Sussex’s 21-year-old upcoming all-rounder James Coles was the biggest winner as he attracted the deal of the day with a startling £390,000 bid from London Spirit but, in terms of optics, the move by Indian-owned Sunrisers for Abrar was even more profound.

The England and Wales Cricket Board had been compelled to issue formal denials that an effective ‘shadow ban’ was being employed by some of the sides who have taken Indian investment, releasing a joint statement from all eight franchises affirming players would not be excluded on nationality.

But Pakistan’s only female representatives – Fatima Sana and Sadia Iqbal – went unsold in the women’s auction, star seamer Shaheen Shah Afridi withdrew from the men’s sale on Wednesday evening and fellow quick Haris Rauf failed to attract an offer when he was put up for his reserve price of £100,000.

Tariq guaranteed Pakistani representation in this summer’s tournament when he was signed for £140,000 by the Edgbaston-based Phoenix, though it was notable that only they and another American-backed side, Trent Rockets, made offers.

It was, therefore, a significant moment when Sunrisers – owned in full by the group behind Indian Premier League outfit Sunrisers Hyderabad – went in for, and won, the highly-rated leg-spinner Abrar at a cost of £190,000. Chief executive Kavya Maran was there in person to raise the paddle.

Their move lends credence to the ECB’s insistence that the Hundred would be free of discrimination and avoids a potentially damaging narrative taking hold.

It was all good news for Coles, currently uncapped by England but strongly tipped to change that in the coming months, as interest from all over the bidding floor pushed his price sky high.

He is a strong hitter, a handy left-arm spin bowler and a recent SA20 champion but although he was expected to fare well it was still a surprise that he outstripped a host of big international names.

They included England’s record run-scorer Joe Root and last year’s tournament MVP Jordan Cox, who were signed early for £240,000 and £300,000 by 2025’s bottom club Welsh Fire.

Elsewhere, Southern Brave secured the country’s leading white-ball spinner Adil Rashid for £250,000 and Jonny Bairstow represented a relative bargain at £160,000 for London Spirit. Former England all-rounder rejoined his brother Sam at MI London in a £260,000 deal, while Josh Tongue’s impressive Ashes winter in an underperforming Test side nudged him towards a £200,000 payday from Manchester Super Giants and Sunrisers paid £180,000 for Test opener Zak Crawley.

All eight franchises entered the bidding hall with just over £1million at their disposal to build their squads, with each already locking in four players apiece as direct signings. England’s limited-overs captain Harry Brook signed the most lucrative of those deals for £465,000 to remain at Headingley and remains the competition’s highest paid player.