Pakistan spinner Abrar Ahmed had a tough start to his maiden Hundred campaign, where he is featuring for Sunrisers Leeds, owned by the Indian Premier League’s (IPL) Sunrisers Hyderabad.
Expensive Abrar
Defending 143 against MI London, Abrar conceded 30 runs in 10 balls, which included four sixes. His worst came in his second set of five balls, where he was tonked for 21 runs as Sam Curran and Nicholas Pooran hit him for three maximums.
While it was otherwise a difficult outing for Abrar, earlier in the game he managed to hit Richard Gleeson for a brilliant six over backward square leg.
Sunrisers lost the game by seven wickets, with Abrar ending the game as the most expensive bowler across both innings.
Pakistan players in India-owned teams
Signed for £190,000 after Sunrisers outbid Trent Rockets, Abrar became the only centrally-contracted Pakistan player to be part of an Indian-owned team in any league across the world. His signing also sparked debate around Sunrisers in some quarters back home.
Pakistan players were effectively barred from playing in the IPL following the 2008 Mumbai attacks. In 2015, former Pakistan player Azhar Mahmood played for Kolkata Knight Riders in the IPL, but on a British passport.
Additionally, teams owned wholly or partly by IPL franchise owners in leagues across the globe have also avoided recruiting Pakistan players.
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