The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) has written to the cricket directors of all eight teams in the Hundred, warning them not to discriminate against Pakistani players in the 2026 auction.
The letter comes after the BBC revealed it had seen a message from a senior ECB official to an agent indicating interest in Pakistani players would be limited to teams not affiliated with the Indian Premier League (IPL). Half of the top 100 teams – Manchester Supergiants, MI London, Southern Brave and Sunrisers Leeds – are partly or fully owned by the companies that control the IPL teams.
Pakistani players have not played in the IPL since 2009, following the 2008 Mumbai terror attacks. All six teams in South Africa’s SA20 are owned by IPL franchise groups, including the four teams that have invested in Hundred.
Not a single Pakistani player has taken part in the tournament for four seasons. Indian teams in the International T20 League and Major League Cricket have not signed Pakistani players.
Last year, the ECB sold 49% of its shares in each of its 800 franchised stores. 67 players from Pakistan, including 63 men and 4 women, have signed up for the hundred-man auction to be held on March 11 and 12. Pakistani players Saim Ayub, Shadab Khan, Muhammad Nawaz and Naseem Shah all signed up for the highest men’s base price of £100,000.
In an email to teams, the ECB warned that teams would face disciplinary action if there was evidence of discriminatory practices in recruitment this season. However, a Pakistani agent told Telegraph Sport that “it is a given” that Pakistani players will be left out of the Indian-owned squad.
