The social media platform X suspended the account of Indian franchise Sunrisers Leeds hours after the team announced the signing of Pakistani spinner Abrar Ahmed in the players’ auction of England’s The Hundred League on Friday.

Sunrisers Leeds purchased Abrar Ahmed on March 12 for 190,000 pounds (approximately 71.2 million Pakistani rupees), beating Trent Rockets in the auction.

The franchise is owned by the Indian media group Sun Group, which also owns IPL team Sunrisers Hyderabad. CEO Kavya Maran attended the auction in London along with team head coach Daniel Vettori.

The team will be led by England T20 captain Harry Brook.

Currently, users trying to access the X account of Sunrisers Leeds see a message stating, “Account suspended.

X suspends accounts that violate X’s rules.” The platform has not clarified the reason for the suspension.

The signing sparked severe criticism on Indian social media, with users demanding a boycott of Sunrisers Hyderabad in the IPL.

Hashtags such as #ShameOnSRH and #BoycottSunrisers trended after old social media posts of Abrar Ahmed surfaced, which some claimed contained satirical content related to the Indian Army.

The selection is notable in cricket circles as it comes after many years that an IPL-affiliated franchise has signed a Pakistani player.

So far, Abrar Ahmed and Usman Tariq are the only Pakistani players bought in the 2026 players’ auction of The Hundred League, with Birmingham Phoenix purchasing Usman Tariq for 140,000 pounds.