The inaugural auction for Men’s The Hundred cricket was a historic event.
It was an auction that held many surprises and controversies. James Coles was the most expensive player, who was sold for 390,000 pounds. Abrar Ahmed’s purchase was also met with scrutiny due to political tensions after the IPL-linked Sunrisers Leeds purchased the Pakistani spinner for 190,000 pounds.
However, many great cricketers went unsold, and the Sunrisers Leeds could have opted to purchase a different player. Here are the top three bowlers the team could have sold who would have been great additions and would have helped them avoid controversy in the process.
Abrar Ahmed Was Sold Despite Not Playing The Hundred Cricket in 2025
The Sunrisers Leeds had many options on the table when they made their selection for the Pakistani bowler Ahmed. However, there were other great options that went unsold that could have served the team just as well as Ahmed.
Ahmed did not participate in the 2025 season of The Hundred. However, he did participate in the 2026 T20 World Cup for Pakistan.
During the tournament, Ahmed recorded six wickets, with 114 runs scored against him and an Economy of 7.6 in 15 overs. In four matches of bowling, he recorded figures of 2/23, 1/30, 0/38, and 3/23.
3 Unsold Bowlers the Sunrisers Leeds Could Have Selected Instead
Given Ahmed’s lack of The Hundred experience and the Sunrisers Leeds’ decent T20 World Cup results, here are three alternatives the Sunrisers Leeds could have selected instead.
Lungi Ngidi
The Hundred 2025 Stats: None
T20 World Cup Stats: 12 Wickets, 187 Runs, 26 Overs, 7 Matches, 74 Dot Balls
Lungi Ngidi is a South African bowler who just put up an impressive performance in the T20 World Cup. He was among the top bowlers of the tournament, ranking in the top 10 in several categories, including Dot Balls and Wickets.
In seven matches, Ngidi recorded two three-wicket matches and one four-wicket match. He finished the tournament with figures of 4/31, 3/26, 1/34, 0/15, 3/30, 1/29, and 0/22.
Jason Behrendorff
The Hundred 2025 Stats: 10 Wickets, 135 Balls
Jason Behrendorff was one of many bowlers to go unsold in The Hundred men’s cricket auction. Unfortunately for him, he had a good run in the 2025 season of The Hundred.
Playing for MI London (formerly known as the Oval Invincibles), Behrendorff recorded 10 Wickets in 135 deliveries. He finished the 2025 season with the eighth-most wickets.
Behrendorff’s best bowling figures during the season were 3/20.
Riley Meredith
The Hundred 2025 stats: 12 Wickets, 117 Balls
The best bowler in this format who was not sold was Riley Meredith. Meredith finished the 2025 season with 12 Wickets, good for the second-most amongst all bowlers. He also finished with an incredible 4/9 bowling figure performance, the best figures of the tournament.
While Meredith was technically not sold at the auction, he did appear on the shortlist.
For the 2026 auction, a long list of potential players was submitted. While Meredith appeared on this list, he was not nominated for a bid. Because of this, he is not technically an “unsold” player; rather, he was an “unnominated” player.
The Sunrisers Leeds could have found a suitable bowler amongst this group of players and avoided the controversy that purchasing Abrar Ahmed has brought.
3 Abrar Ahmed Alternatives Sunrisers Leeds Should Have Sold