London, March 12, 2026: Pakistani spinners Abrar Ahmed and Usman Tariq were the only players from Pakistan selected during the men’s auction for The Hundred 2026 season held at Piccadilly Lights in London.
Birmingham Phoenix secured Usman Tariq for £140,000 (around PKR 5.32 crore), making him the first Pakistani player picked in the auction after several prominent names went unsold in earlier rounds.
Meanwhile, Sunrisers Leeds signed Abrar Ahmed for £190,000 (approximately PKR 7.12 crore) following competitive bidding that saw the franchise outbid Trent Rockets.
The Leeds-based franchise, owned by Kavya Maran and affiliated with the Indian Premier League’s Sunrisers Hyderabad, showed strong interest in the Pakistani spinner, marking a notable moment as an Indian-owned franchise invested significantly in a Pakistani cricketer.
Earlier in the auction, Pakistani players including fast bowler Haris Rauf, all-rounder Shadab Khan and batter Saim Ayub went unsold, though they remain eligible for selection if franchises revisit the remaining pool.
Meanwhile, Pakistan’s ODI captain Shaheen Shah Afridi was among five overseas players who withdrew from the auction shortly before bidding began.
The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) confirmed that Afridi pulled out alongside Quinton de Kock, Sunil Narine, AM Ghazanfar and Peter Siddle.
The 2026 season of The Hundred is scheduled to run from July 21 to August 16, with the opening match set to feature MI London — formerly Oval Invincibles — against Sunrisers Leeds at The Oval.
