It did not take long for the simmering antipathy on the Indian sub-continent to erupt after the auction of players for the men’s franchises in The Hundred. This centered on the purchase of Pakistani spinner Abrar Ahmed by Sunrisers Leeds. The franchise is owned by Indian media conglomerate Sun TV Network, which acquired the former Northern Superchargers franchise in two stages. First, it bought a 49 per cent stake from the England and Wales Cricket Board and then the 51 per cent balance from Yorkshire County Cricket Club in a deal worth around $32m (£100m).