One paddle raise. That is all it took for Kavya Maran to make history — and become the most talked-about figure in cricket overnight.
During The Hundred Auction 2026 on Thursday, Sunrisers Leeds — owned by Chennai-based media conglomerate Sun Group — bought Pakistan mystery spinner Abrar Ahmed, making him the first Pakistan player to be signed by an Indian-owned franchise in any T20 league. Sunrisers Leeds splurged £190,000 — approximately Rs 2.34 crore — for the cricketer after a fierce bidding war with Trent Rockets. Kavya Maran, the franchise’s co-owner and CEO, was seated at the Sunrisers Leeds table throughout and raised the paddle herself during the contest.
By the time the auction ended, her Twitter mentions were on fire and the Sunrisers Leeds official X account had reportedly been suspended — believed to be a consequence of the volume of abuse flooding into it.
Who Is Kavya Maran?
Kavya Maran was born on November 3, 1991, and is currently 34 years old. She is the Executive Director of SUN TV Network Limited and the daughter of Kalanithi Maran, the chairman and founder of the Sun Group. She completed her graduation from Stella Maris College in Chennai with a B.Com degree before returning to head the group’s growing presence in professional cricket.
She currently oversees three franchises across three different leagues — Sunrisers Hyderabad in the IPL, Sunrisers Eastern Cape in SA20, and Sunrisers Leeds in The Hundred. In 2023, she featured in the list of 100 Women Achievers of India, becoming the youngest businesswoman on the list. Her net worth is reportedly over Rs 400 crore.
Sun TV Group bought 100% of the Northern Superchargers franchise last year, spending over £100 million, before renaming the team Sunrisers Leeds. The franchise plays its home games at Headingley Cricket Ground and is captained by England batter Harry Brook.
The Signing That Changed Everything
Before the auction, all eight franchises had jointly committed to selecting players based solely on “performance, availability, and the needs of each team.” Reports of a potential shadow ban — an unofficial policy among IPL-linked franchises to avoid Pakistan players — had circulated widely in the build-up.
No other IPL-owned franchise bid for any Pakistan player at the auction. MI London, owned by the Ambani family, did not bid. Neither did GMR Group’s Southern Brave nor Sanjiv Goenka’s Manchester Super Giants. Sunrisers Leeds were the only Indian-owned franchise to break from that pattern.
Abrar entered the auction with a base price of £75,000. A bidding contest between Sunrisers Leeds and Trent Rockets pushed his price up to £190,000, making him the most expensive Asian player in the 2026 Hundred auction. He was also the second Pakistani player sold — Usman Tariq had gone to Birmingham Phoenix for £140,000, a franchise with no IPL connection.
Several top Pakistan stars including Haris Rauf, Shadab Khan, and Saim Ayub went unsold. Fast bowler Shaheen Shah Afridi withdrew before the auction began.
Vettori’s Defence: Pure Cricket
Head coach Daniel Vettori, the former New Zealand captain who also serves as Australia’s assistant coach, was direct in explaining the decision. He said that after missing out on Adil Rashid — who was secured by Southern Brave — the priority became finding a quality overseas spinner, and that quality simply was not available in the local market. Rishad Hussain, Usman Tariq, and Abrar Ahmed were all on the radar. “It’s a bit of a mystery. I don’t think there are a lot of English players who have seen him,” Vettori said. “The feedback from the Australian guys was that he was going to be tricky to face, a lot of variations and an ability to strike in the powerplay and still through the middle stages.” He added that spinners have historically been the ones who succeed at Headingley, making Abrar’s skill set especially valuable for the home conditions.
Vettori confirmed there had been no internal discussion about not picking Pakistan players. “We just planned for everyone that was in the auction. There wasn’t a discussion — it was just who was the best option,” he said.
Who Is Abrar Ahmed?
Abrar Ahmed is a 27-year-old Pakistan leg-spinner known for his mystery variations. He has claimed 52 wickets in 38 T20 internationals at an economy rate of 6.67. He is also the only Pakistani cricketer never to have played in the IPL — a distinction that now makes the Sunrisers Leeds signing all the more symbolic. He will join a squad that already includes Mitchell Marsh, Brydon Carse, Nathan Ellis, Ryan Rickelton, Zak Crawley, Matt Potts, and Dan Lawrence alongside captain Harry Brook.
The Social Media Storm and BCCI’s Response
The reaction among a section of Indian fans on social media was immediate and intense, with calls to boycott Sunrisers Hyderabad during the upcoming IPL 2026 season. The Sunrisers Leeds X account was reportedly suspended within hours of the announcement, widely believed to be a result of the abuse it received.