14 Pakistani male players have been included in this year’s auction list of England’s prestigious league ‘The Hundred’. Pakistan’s strong presence in the long list of 247 players has sparked a new debate whether Indian-owned franchises will bid on these players? Or like last year, this time too Pakistani players will be disgraced. Let us know the whole matter…
Revelation about Pakistani players in the report
In fact, last month a new report regarding The Hundred had created a stir in the cricket world. It was reported that the teams which have stake in the Indian Premier League (IPL) franchises will not bid on any Pakistani player in the auction to be held next month. This claim was made in a BBC report, which quoted a player agent as calling it an ‘unwritten rule’. ‘Unwritten rules’ are those restrictions or guidelines, which are not written down or formally stated, but which people accept tacitly. These are also called ‘unspoken rules’. This is also being called ‘shadow ban’.
Status of Indian investments and Pakistani players
It has been seen earlier in T20 leagues around the world that where there is Indian investment or direct involvement of IPL owners, there is no entry of Pakistani players. For example, no Pakistani player played in IPL after the first season of 2008. All six South African SA20 teams are owned by IPL groups and there were no Pakistani players to be seen there either. The situation has been similar in UAE’s ILT20 also. Now IPL franchise owners have stake in four out of eight teams of The Hundred, which became effective from October 1, 2025. According to the report, these teams will not bid on Pakistani players.
In which teams do IPL owners have stake?
The teams whose names have appeared in the report include:
- manchester super giants
- southern brave
- mi london
- sunrisers leads
Why the discussion of ‘shadow ban’?
The report raised fears of a shadow ban in view of geopolitical tensions. A senior official of the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) hinted to an agent that interest in its Pakistani players may be limited only to teams that have no connection with the IPL. In such a situation, only a few selected players can get a place. However, the England Cricket Board and The Hundred teams issued a joint statement on this. “No player will be excluded on the basis of his nationality,” the statement said. The ECB also clarified that the selection will be based solely on performance, availability and team needs.
Six Pakistani players in top 50
Pakistan’s fast bowler Haris Rauf has been placed in the ‘Marquee Players International’ category, whose base price has been fixed at one lakh pounds. Big names like Aiden Markram, David Miller, Daryl Mitchell and Sunil Narine are also included with him. This time six Pakistani players are included in the top 50 heroes list. Apart from Rauf, Shaheen Afridi, Shadab Khan and Usman Tariq are in Tier-1. Whereas Sam Ayub and Abrar Ahmed have been kept in Tier-2, in which Ayub has chosen the highest reserve price. Pakistan has the highest representation of any foreign country in the top 50, which is one more than South Africa.
What happened last year?
Last year, Pakistani players were disgraced in The Hundred. Not a single Pakistani player got a contract in the 2025 draft. This happened for the first time since the competition began in 2021. At that time 50 Pakistani players had registered their names. However, players like Naseem Shah, Mohammad Aamir, Haris Rauf and Usama Mir played in the 2024 season. In 2023, six Pakistani players including Shadab Khan participated.
Availability is also a big challenge
This year the schedule of The Hundred is clashing with Pakistan’s Test series. In such a situation, the availability of centrally contracted players may be affected. This is why franchisees will take into account schedules and availability before bidding.
Will the Indian owners bid?
Now eyes are on whether Indian-owned teams bet on Pakistani players or not. Sports experts believe that if the selection is purely for cricketing reasons, it will be difficult to ignore talented players. On the other hand, political and business equations can also play an important role. On the day of the auction, it will become clear whether the discussion of shadow ban was just speculation or there was some truth in it.
