Calls to boycott Sunrisers Hyderabad have spread on social media after a move by their sister franchise in The Hundred.
The anger started when Sunrisers Leeds signed Pakistan spinner Abrar Ahmed in the auction of The Hundred. The team is owned by Sun Group, the same company that owns the IPL franchise Sunrisers Hyderabad.
A section of Indian cricket fans reacted strongly to the signing. Many criticised the Sunrisers management online. Some fans even asked others to boycott Sunrisers Hyderabad in the IPL.
Sun Group is a Chennai based media company. It owns both Sunrisers Hyderabad and Sunrisers Leeds. During the first ever auction of The Hundred, Leeds bought Abrar for £190,000 after a bidding fight with Trent Rockets.
Kavya Maran, the co owner of the franchise, was active during the auction. Her presence also drew attention from fans.
Abrar became the first Pakistani player to join a franchise owned by an Indian group in The Hundred. Some fans questioned the decision. They said the player had earlier faced criticism for remarks against India and for comments about Shubman Gill.
The issue later spread to social media platforms as well. The X account of Sunrisers Leeds is now suspended.
When users try to open the page, it shows a message that the account has been suspended for breaking X rules. The platform has not yet explained which rule was broken.
