Following the common practice in many T20 franchise leagues, Pakistani players will not be picked by teams that have Indian owners in next month’s auction for The Hundred. No Pakistani cricketer has played in the Indian Premier League since its first season in 2008. Pakistani players have also not featured in the SA20, where all six teams are owned by IPL franchise groups.
The same situation applies to the International League T20 in the United Arab Emirates. Four of the eight teams in The Hundred now have stakes owned by owners of IPL franchises, and they will not bid for any Pakistani players, the BBC reported. It claimed that a player agent had referred to this situation as “an unwritten rule” across leagues with Indian investment.
IPL-linked teams may avoid Pakistan players in The Hundred auction
According to the report, a senior official from the England and Wales Cricket Board told an agent that Pakistani players are likely to get interest only from teams that are not connected to the IPL.
The franchises partly owned by Indian Premier League groups are:
Manchester Super Giants
Southern Brave
MI London
Sunrisers Leeds
So, these teams are unlikely to bid for Pakistan players. The ownership came into effect on October 1, 2025. The tournament comes under the jurisdiction of the independent cricket regulator, established following the 2023 Equity in Cricket report, and any discrimination on the basis of nationality may run against its regulations.
“The Hundred welcomes men’s and women’s players from all over the world and we would expect the eight teams to reflect that, an ECB spokesperson said.
“Almost 1,000 cricketers from 18 nations have registered for The Hundred auction, with representation on the longlist of over 50 players respectively from Australia, South Africa, New Zealand, Pakistan, and West Indies.”
ECB chief executive Richard Gould had said last year that he expected “players from all nations to be selected for all teams” in The Hundred and warned that “clear anti-discrimination policies” were in place. Mohammad Amir and Imad Wasim were the Pakistani players to feature in last year’s edition while Shaheen Afridi, Shadab Khan and Haris Rauf were among those who played in earlier competitions.
“Every player should have the right to fair and equal opportunity,” Tom Moffat, chief executive of the World Cricketers’ Association, was quoted as saying. “While employers have autonomy in recruitment, those decisions should always align with principles of fairness, equality and respect.”
