The collage exhibits Pakistan spinner Usman Tariq (left) and opening batter Saim Ayub. — Reuters/PCB/File
Pakistani cricketers, together with Saim Ayub, Usman Tariq, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Shadab Khan, and Haris Rauf have registered for the 950-plus participant pool for subsequent month’s The Hundred auctions.
The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) faces scrutiny over whether or not new Indian traders might impose an IPL-style “shadow ban” on Pakistani gamers.
No present Pakistani worldwide has performed within the IPL since 2008, and only some have joined international groups linked to IPL homeowners.
Final yr, ECB chief govt Richard Gould insisted that the involvement of Pakistani gamers in The Hundred would stay unaffected by the league’s partial privatisation, with 4 franchises now both part-owned or totally run by IPL possession teams.
Nevertheless, latest stories point out that no IPL-owned Hundred groups intend to bid for Pakistani gamers within the upcoming auctions, citing messages from a “senior ECB official” to an agent.
The ECB has pushed again towards the claims, saying it has not been proven the messages in query.
Former England captain Michael Vaughan urged the ECB to handle the problem proactively, tweeting: “The ECB need to act fast on this… the most inclusive sport in the country should not allow this to happen.”
Over 50 Pakistani gamers, together with Afridi, Shadab, Rauf, Saim Ayub and Usman Tariq, have registered for the draft, which might be held at Piccadilly, London, on March 11 (ladies’s) and March 12 (males’s).
Notably absent from the longlist are Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan, although their availability would have been restricted by Pakistan’s scheduled Check sequence towards West Indies in August.
Pakistan’s limited-overs groups should not on account of play throughout The Hundred’s window from July 21 to August 16.
Bangladesh pacer Mustafizur Rahman, whose contract with Kolkata Knight Riders was just lately cancelled on the BCCI’s request, has additionally registered for the public sale.
Traditionally, solely 9 Pakistani gamers have featured within the first 5 seasons of The Hundred, with groups typically reluctant to signal them on account of clashes with worldwide fixtures and some high-profile withdrawals, together with Afridi and Naseem Shah in 2024.
4 IPL franchises at the moment are concerned in The Hundred as part-owners or full homeowners: Mumbai Indians (MI London), Lucknow Tremendous Giants (Manchester Tremendous Giants), Sunrisers Hyderabad (Sunrisers Leeds), and Delhi Capitals (Southern Courageous).
Groups co-owned by Delhi Capitals and Southern Courageous’s GMR Group have beforehand signed Pakistani gamers, together with Imad Wasim, Zaman Khan, and Shan Masood, whereas the opposite three franchises have by no means signed Pakistan nationals.
Geopolitical tensions between India and Pakistan escalated final yr, and their latest group-stage T20 World Cup match was practically cancelled after Pakistan threatened to boycott the fixture.
An ECB spokesperson emphasised its dedication to variety and international expertise within the upcoming event. Highlighting the worldwide attain of the competitors.
“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 from Australia, South Africa, New Zealand, Pakistan and West Indies.”
Birmingham Phoenix has additionally expressed openness to signing abroad gamers no matter nationality.
James Thomas, the franchise’s efficiency director, stated: “Birmingham is a hugely diverse city. We pick players for what they bring on the field, but we also want teams that represent the city and region.”
Excessive-profile England gamers similar to Jonny Bairstow, Adil Rashid, Joe Root (males’s), and Tammy Beaumont, Dani Gibson, Linsey Smith (ladies’s) are on the longlist, although Ben Stokes is absent on account of workload administration.
Abroad stars Sophie Devine, Beth Mooney, Deepti Sharma, Trent Boult, Aiden Markram, and Sunil Narine are additionally in rivalry, whereas most of Australia’s males’s Check squad are unavailable on account of their house sequence towards Bangladesh in August.
The Hundred auctions will begin with a marquee set of “hero” gamers nominated by the eight franchises, all of which have made as much as 4 pre-auction signings.
Wage caps for 2026 have risen to £2.05 million (males’s) and £880,000 (ladies’s), and groups might discipline 4 abroad gamers per match, up from three in earlier seasons.
