FOUR OF The Hundred’s eight franchises, Manchester Super Giants, MI London, Southern Brave and Sunrisers Leeds, are fully or partially owned by companies that also operate teams in the Indian Premier League (IPL). According to UK’s The Telegraph, these franchises are not expected to bid for Pakistan players at the upcoming auction scheduled for 11 and 12 March.
The reported stance is understood to stem from ongoing geopolitical tensions between India and Pakistan, which have previously impacted bilateral cricketing ties and tournament dynamics, including recent global events. The franchises are said to be wary of potential backlash should they sign Pakistan internationals.
A report by the BBC cited a senior official from the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) as having indicated a similar position to a player agent. However, Manchester Super Giants deputy chair James Sheridan said, “The only conversations we’ve had is to pick the two best squads to give us the best possible chance of winning the two competitions.”
In the most recent edition of The Hundred, only Mohammad Amir and Imad Wasim represented Pakistan. Previous seasons have featured players such as Shaheen Afridi, Shadab Khan and Haris Rauf. No Pakistan women’s cricketer has participated in the competition to date.
A similar trend has been observed in other T20 leagues. No Pakistan player has featured in any of the four seasons of SA20, where all six teams are owned by IPL franchise groups. Indian-linked franchises have also reportedly refrained from signing Pakistan players in the International League T20 and Major League Cricket.
An agent representing Pakistan cricketers told The Telegraph that while franchises in ILT20, MLC, SA20 and The Hundred have expressed interest informally, political sensitivities linked to India make formal signings unlikely. The agent claimed franchises would not commit such positions in writing.
To date, nine Pakistan players have appeared in The Hundred, although none were signed last season, largely due to scheduling conflicts with Pakistan’s international calendar. Additionally, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has periodically revised its No Objection Certificate (NOC) policies. Following a rule limiting players to two overseas T20 leagues in addition to the PSL, NOCs were briefly suspended in September last year, a move that came shortly after Pakistan’s defeat in the Asia Cup final to India.
ECB chief executive Richard Gould had addressed the issue in July 2025, stating he expected “players from all nations to be selected for all teams”. He added that English cricket operates under “very clear anti-discrimination policies” and that any breach would invite action from the regulator.
When queried about the BBC report by ESPNcricinfo, the ECB said that “they have not been shown the messages in question and pushed back against the story”.
However Michael Vaughan, the former England captain, urged the board to address the issue more proactively.
“The ECB need to act fast on this,” Vaughan wrote on X. “They own the league and this should not be allowed to happen .. the most inclusive sport in the country is not one that allows this to happen.”
An ECB spokesperson said: “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.”
