No Pakistan Cricketers in The Hundred 2026 Auction as IPL-Linked Teams Enforce Shadow Ban

It looks like Pakistani cricketers might not find any takers at The Hundred 2026 auction. Following the franchise sales, it turns out that half of the teams are at least partially owned by Indian Premier League (IPL) owners, including the Manchester Super Giants, MI London, Southern Brave, and Sunrisers Leeds. 

The auction is set to take place on March 11 for women and March 12 for men in London. While nearly 1,000 cricketers from 18 different nations are on the list, it seems that the four franchises mentioned above won’t be making any bids for Pakistani players. 

The reason is pretty straightforward. Given the rocky geopolitical relationship between India and Pakistan, no IPL franchise has ever employed Pakistani cricketers. With IPL ownership branching out into other leagues like the SA20, franchises are still not selecting players from Pakistan. Even in the ILT20, the only team that has picked players from Pakistan is the American-owned Desert Vipers. 

Behind-the-Scenes Rule in The Hundred 2026 Auction

According to the BBC, a senior official from the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) has casually mentioned to a player agent that the four IPL-linked franchises won’t be pursuing Pakistani cricketers. 

Before the sale of The Hundred, ECB executive Richard Gould was asked if players from Pakistan would be allowed to participate in the league following the Indian/IPL investment. Gould insisted that players from any country wouldn’t face discrimination. However, that assurance doesn’t seem to hold up. 

“I expect players from all nations to be selected for all teams. We haven’t had any need to have any discussions at this point. We have got very clear anti-discrimination policies within cricket in England. If those are not adhered to, our cricket regulator will take action,” Gould had said last year.

In the last edition of the Men’s Hundred, Mohammad Amir and Imad Wasim made appearances. Previously, players like Shaheen Shah Afridi, Shadab Khan, and Haris Rauf have also participated. Unfortunately, no Pakistani women cricketers have taken part in the Women’s Hundred so far.