A fresh storm is building around the next season of The Hundred, and this time it involves Pakistan’s Babar Azam, Shaheen Afridi, Haris Rauf, and many others. There is strong talk in the UK media that the four teams that are owned or co-owned by the IPL team owners may avoid picking Pakistani players in the player auction for the upcoming The Hundred.
IPL-linked owners under scanner
The owners and stakeholders of the Manchester Super Giants, MI London, Southern Brave, and Sunrisers Leeds own teams in the Indian Premier League (IPL), and they are basically Indians. It is being said these four teams will not pick Pakistan players at the auction.
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The Pakistani players are also banned in the IPL after the Mumbai terror attack in 2011. Apart from the IPL, Pakistani cricketers have not been picked in South Africa’s SA20 league and the UAE’s ILT20, which also have IPL-linked owners.
Sahibzada Farhan breaks silence on The Hundred tension
Reacting to the buzz, Pakistan opener Sahibzada Farhan has made it clear that players cannot control who picks them and who does not. However, Farhan said that every player dreams of playing in top leagues around the world, and The Hundred is one of them.
Sahibzada Farhan said at the press conference ahead of the Pakistan-England Super 8 game at the T20 World Cup 2026: “See, it’s not in our hands to decide who will pick us or not.
That is not in our hands. Wherever we get a chance, whoever is interested can pick us, and we are ready to play in that league. And we are not interested in playing with the people—the way you have spoken. I have a lot of hope; every player wants to play for every league, and The Hundred is one of the best leagues. So, hope for the best.”
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67 Pakistan players in the auction pool
This issue has grabbed attention because as many as 67 Pakistani cricketers, both men and women, have registered for the upcoming The Hundred season. It includes almost the entire national squad. Shaheen Afridi, Shadab Khan, and Haris Rauf have already played in the 100-ball tournament before.
Meanwhile, England captain Harry Brook recently said it would be disappointing if Pakistan players miss out because they bring excitement and quality to any tournament.
Recently, Brook said at the press conference, “There’s some amazing cricketers, and, yeah, and they bring some great crowds as well. So, it would be a shame to not see some of the Pakistan players in there and make the tournament and competition even better.”
ECB react to growing noise
However, no team has officially said they will ignore Pakistan players, but the reports created enough noise for the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) to take action. The ECB has now sent a formal message to all eight teams playing in The Hundred.
In that message, the ECB reminded franchises about their duty to follow fair selection rules and anti-discrimination policies. They made it clear that no selection call should go against regulations or appear biased.
