Indian-owned teams to skip Pakistani players in Hundred draft

Pakistani cricketers are not being considered by Indian-owned sides for next month’s auction of the cricket league The Hundred played in the United Kingdom, the BBC reported.

The report citing a senior official from the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) indicated to an agent that interest in Pakistani players would be limited to sides not linked to the Indian Premier League (IPL). Another agent described the situation as “an unwritten rule” across T20 leagues with Indian investment, the media outlet claimed.

Four of The Hundred’s eight franchises – Manchester Super Giants, MI London, Southern Brave and Sunrisers Leeds – are now at least part-owned by companies that control IPL teams.

Two Pakistan players – Mohammad Amir and Imad Wasim – appeared in last year’s tournament, which was the final edition before new investors took control.  Others including Shaheen Afridi, Shadab Khan and Haris Rauf featured in earlier seasons of the men’s competition. No Pakistan players have appeared in the women’s Hundred.

No Pakistan players have featured in South Africa’s SA20, which launched in 2023. All six of its teams are owned by IPL franchise groups – including the four now involved in The Hundred.

In the UAE’s ILT20, franchises controlled by the owners of MI London and Southern Brave have not signed a Pakistan player across four seasons, but have recruited cricketers from 15 other nationalities. By contrast, American-owned ILT20 side Desert Vipers signed eight Pakistan players over the same period.

The ECB denies any ban and insists on inclusivity for players from all nations, but fans call it blatant discrimination while highlighting the irony against The Hundred’s ‘for everyone’ slogan.

ECB chief executive Richard Gould said last year he expected “players from all nations to be selected for all teams” in The Hundred and warned “clear anti-discrimination policies” were in place.

An ECB spokesperson told the media outlet: “The Hundred welcomes men’s and women’s players from all over the world and we would expect the eight teams to reflect that.

“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.”