Pakistan's cricketers remain hopeful for selection in UK's The Hundred tournament, despite concerns that teams owned by IPL franchise owners may overlook them in the upcoming auction.
Key Points
- Pakistan cricketers express hope to participate in The Hundred despite concerns over IPL-linked franchise owners potentially avoiding them.
- 67 Pakistani cricketers, including T20 World Cup 2026 squad members, have registered for The Hundred auction.
- IPL has not featured Pakistani players since 2008, and other leagues with IPL ties have also largely excluded them.
- England captain Harry Brook believes it would be a shame if Pakistani cricketers are not included in The Hundred.
Opener Sahibzada Farhan on Monday side-stepped queries on the speculation that Pakistan's players would be ignored by at least four Indian-owned franchises in UK's The Hundred auction, saying that the matter is beyond their control.
Manchester Super Giants (RPSG Group), MI London (Reliance), Southern Brave (GMR) and Sunrisers Leeds (Sun Group) are linked to team owners in the IPL and according reports in the British media, all of them would avoid picking Pakistan's players in next month's auction.
"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, who are interested can pick us and we are ready to play in that league," Farhan said on the eve of Pakistan's T20 World Cup Super 8s match against England, in Pallekele, on Tuesday.
"And we are not interested to play with the people - the way you have spoken," said Farhan when asked about Pakistan players not being picked in franchise leagues around the world with strong IPL ties.
"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," he added.
As many as 67 male and female cricketers from Pakistan, including almost the entire men's T20 World Cup squad, have registered for The Hundred.
Several Pakistan players, including Mohammad Amir, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Shadab Khan and Haris Rauf, have featured in The Hundred in the past editions.
Geopolitical Impact On Cricket Leagues
The IPL has not featured Pakistani players since the 26/11 terrorist attack in 2008.
No Pakistan cricketer has featured in SA20 since its launch in 2023, with all six teams owned by franchise groups linked to the IPL.
Similarly, in the UAE's ILT20, franchises controlled by the owners of MI London and Southern Brave have not signed a single Pakistan player across four seasons.
England captain Harry Brook had earlier said that it would be a shame if Pakistan cricketers did not take part in the competition.
"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," Brook had said last week.
The upcoming season of The Hundred is scheduled from July 21 to August 16, while the players auction is slated for Match 11 and 12.
© 2026