He became the first Pakistani player Abrar Ahmed signed by an Indian-owned side in the competition when he was paid £190,000 (US$255,000) on the morning of the first men’s Hundred auction in London.

Last year, Sun TV, an Indian media behemoth, secured a complete acquisition of the Northern Superchargers franchise, purchasing a 51% share from Yorkshire and a 49% share from the ECB for over £100 million. Investors who own IPL franchises also purchased stakes in three other Hundred teams.

Even though the eight teams had promised to choose only on the basis of “performance, availability, and the needs of each team” prior to the auction, there has been intense scrutiny over whether those four teams would bid on Pakistani players in Thursday’s auction due to rumours of a possible “shadow-ban.”

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“We obviously jumped into the overseas spinner after we missed out on Adil Rashid [to Southern Brave], who was a priority early on,” stated Daniel Vettori, head coach of the Sunrisers.

Abrar Ahmed was one of the four or five men we were examining. Very happy to have him.

Just before lunch, Sunrisers defeated Trent Rockets in a bidding war to sign Abrar Ahmed. Sunrisers’ sibling teams, Sunrisers Hyderabad (IPL) and Sunrisers Eastern Cape (SA20), have never before recruited an active Pakistani player. “We just planned for everyone that was in the auction,” Vettori said, adding that there had been no internal discussions about the team not choosing Pakistanis. He also disclosed that he had consulted Australia’s players, who had faced Abrar Ahmed at the beginning of the season.

There was only a debate about who was the greatest choice, not about not selecting Pakistani athletes. Getting a spin bowler was our first aim after losing out on Adil Rashid, and since we didn’t think the local market had that calibre, we decided to travel outside. We were keeping an eye on guys like Abrar Ahmed, Usman Tariq, and Rishad Hussain.

It’s a little mysterious. He recently participated in that Australian series, although I don’t think many English players have watched him. He was going to be difficult to deal with, with a lot of variations and the potential to hit in the powerplay and still in the middle stages, according to the Australian boys’ feedback, which is, in my opinion, a crucial prerequisite at Headingley. The only people who have truly succeeded there are spinners. It will make a significant difference for us to having him there.”

After Usman Tariq, who was purchased by Birmingham Phoenix for £140,000 (US$187,000), Abrar was the second Pakistani player to be sold on Thursday morning. The host counties of Nottinghamshire and Warwickshire, respectively, and American investment firms jointly own Rockets and Phoenix.

Due to the ongoing geopolitical difficulties between India and Pakistan, no active Pakistan internationals have participated in the IPL since 2008, despite the fact that a number of Pakistani players had previously played for international T20 teams owned or partially owned by IPL franchises.

After a five-way bidding war, London Spirit paid uncapped Sussex all-rounder James Coles an incredible £390,000 (US$522,000), making him the most expensive player on Thursday.

Coles, a 21-year-old who is expected to make his debut for his country this summer, only made £31,000 while playing for Southern Brave in the Hundred last summer. However, he has subsequently had a breakout season on the franchise circuit, winning the SA20 with Sunrisers Eastern Cape and making an impression in the England Lions’ series against Pakistan Shaheens.

Coles drew early bids from the Manchester Super Giants, Phoenix, and Rockets at a base price of £75,000. Sunrisers Leeds entered the auction at £220,000 and Rockets dropped out at £260,000, only for London Spirit to enter and eventually gazump Sunrisers to gain his services.

Only Harry Brook (£465,000 at Sunrisers Leeds), Phil Salt (£450,000 at Welsh Fire), and Jofra Archer (£400,000 at Southern Brave), who were all pre-signed prior to Thursday’s auction, are expected to earn more than Coles.

Jordan Cox (£300,000 at Welsh Fire), Tom Curran (£260,000 at MI London), and Adil Rashid (£250,000 at Southern Brave) also received sizable payouts from the bidding on Thursday. Dan Lawrence received £210,000 (US$281,000) from Sunrisers after they lost out on Coles, while Joe Root was the first player traded to Welsh Fire for £240,000 (US$321,000).

Aiden Markram signed a £200,000 (US$277,000) contract with the Manchester Super Giants after drawing the biggest bid of any foreign player. Markram currently plays for two more Super Giants teams: Durban in the SA20 and Lucknow in the IPL.

Scott Currie (£210,000 at Birmingham Phoenix) and Sam Billings (£180,000 at Trent Rockets) signed significant contracts during the afternoon’s bidding, while Thomas Rew, the captain of England Under-19, joined Southern Brave for £80,000 (US$107,000) despite having only participated in three first-team Twenty20 matches. Later, Mustafizur Rahman became the first player from Bangladesh to be signed for the Hundred after Birmingham Phoenix nominated him in the last round and paid his base price of £100,000 (US$133,000).