No Pakistan cricketers in The Hundred 2026 auction? IPL-owned teams to enforce shadow ban

Pakistan cricketers are expected to go unsold at The Hundred 2026 auction. After the sale of the franchises, half of the teams are at least partly-owned by Indian Premier League (IPL) owners, Manchester Super Giants, MI London, Southern Brave, and Sunrisers Leeds.

The auction will be held on March 11 (Women) and March 12 (Men) in London. And while Pakistan cricketers have been listed among nearly 1,000 cricketers from 18 nations, the four franchises mentioned above won’t bid for them.

The reason’s clear as the sky. Since India and Pakistan’s geopolitical relationship isn’t great, no IPL franchise employs Pakistan cricketers. Since IPL ownership has expanded to other cricket leagues like the SA20, no players from Pakistan are selected by franchises. Even in ILT20, only the American-owned Desert Vipers pick players from the country.

Unwritten rule for Hundred 2026 auction

According to the BBC, a senior official from the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) has informally informed a player agent that the four IPL-linked franchises won’t be going after Pakistan cricketers.

Before The Hundred sale, ECB executive Richard Gould was asked whether players from Pakistan would be allowed to play in the league after Indian/IPL investment. Gould was adamant that players from any country would not be discriminated against. But that certainty doesn’t look like the case.

“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.

Mohammad Amir and Imad Wasim had featured in the last edition of the Men’s Hundred. In the past, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Shadab Khan, and Haris Rauf participated as well. However, no Pakistan cricketers have featured in the Women’s Hundred.

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