'These kind of things have been happening for ages now it's time for a solution, because it's not fair -- it's obviously discriminating against certain type of people. It's horrible.'
Key Points
- Media reports in the UK said that Indian-owned franchises plan to avoid signing Pakistan's player in The Hundred players' auction next month.
- Four of the eight teams in UK's The Hundred are controlled by IPL team owners.
- Moeen Ali said said the players will undoubtedly band together if the Pakistan players face unfair discrimination.
- The England and Wales Cricket Board and all eight Hundred franchises said on Tuesday that players will not be excluded based on nationality.
Former England all-rounder Moeen Ali has issued a stern warning to the Indian-owned franchises in The Hundred that players will take collective action if the owners discriminate against Pakistan cricketers in the upcoming auction of the league.
Four of the eight teams are controlled by IPL team owners. The RP-Sanjiv Goenka Group owns 70 per cent of Manchester Super Giants, while Reliance Industries Limited, owners of Mumbai Indians, have 49 per cent stake in MI London. Southern Brave is owned by Delhi Capitals' GMR Group with a 49 per cent stake and Sunrisers Hyderabad's Kalanithi Maran last year completed a 100 percent takeover of Sunrisers Leeds.
Media reports in the UK had claimed that Indian-owned franchises plan to avoid signing Pakistan's player in the auction next month, fearing severe backlash by fans back home in India.
'A senior official from the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) indicated to an agent that interest in his Pakistan players would be limited to sides not linked to the IPL,' reported BBC last week.
However, the ECB was quick to step in and warned the franchises of possible action if Pakistan's players were discriminated against.
The ECB along with all eight The Hundred franchises said on Tuesday that players will not be excluded based on nationality, quashing reports that Indian-owned teams may avoid signing Pakistan cricketers.
'The Hundred was established to reach new audiences, grow the game of cricket and ensure that everyone -- regardless of their ethnicity, gender, faith, nationality or other -- can feel they belong in our sport,' they said in a statement.
'Players must not be excluded on the grounds of their nationality. All eight teams commit to selection being based solely on cricketing performance, availability, and the needs of each team.'
67 Pakistan register for The Hundred auction
Pakistan's players have not featured in the IPL since the inaugural edition of the league in 2008 after India barred their participation following the 26/11 terrorist attack that year.
No Pakistan cricketer has played in SA20 since its launch in 2023, with all six teams owned by IPL-linked groups. In the UAE's ILT20 too, franchises controlled by the owners of MI London and Southern Brave have not signed a single Pakistan player across four seasons.
A total of 67 Pakistani cricketer have registered for The Hundred auction.
Moeen, who is of Pakistan heritage, was part of England's ODI World Cup winning team in 2019 and the T20 World Cup winning team in 2022.
The all-rounder, who has played for Chennai Super Kings, Royal Challengers Bengaluru and Kolkata Knight Riders in the IPL, urged the England and Wales Cricket Board to take steps to prevent Pakistan from being boycotted by teams linked to Indian owners.
'In the UK, I'm not sure that can happen -- and I hope it doesn't happen,' Moeen told Telegraph Sport. 'It just shouldn't happen, hopefully it won't happen. We just have to wait and see if it does, but I think it'd be a massive shame, and I'm sure the ECB will definitely keep an eye out.'
'There'll be a group of players that will speak up. There'll be things done about it. I think players should speak up. Anyone that has any sort of concern for these kind of things -- it doesn't matter if they have Pakistani heritage -- should speak up,' he added.
ECB warns franchises over discrimination
Moeen, who will also be part of The Hundred players auction, said the players will undoubtedly band together if the Pakistan players face unfair discrimination.
'Obviously, the news is very new. So I've not really had a chance to speak to anyone, but most of the players would be on the same page. It'd be really interesting to see what happens, because I genuinely think other countries can do what they want, obviously we're not in control of those things, but in the UK, we have a bit more say about these things,' he further told Telegraph Sport.
'These kind of things have been happening for ages now it's time for a solution, because it's not fair -- it's obviously discriminating against certain type of people. It's horrible.'
Interestingly, before the four teams were taken over by the Indian owners last year, The Hundred didn't have much Pakistani presence in the league.
In the previous edition of The Hundred last year not a single Pakistan player was picked in the draft. Later, two players from Pakistan -- Imad Wasim and Mohammad Amir -- were picked as replacement players.
Four Pakistan featured in The Hundred in 2024 and six in 2023, while just two players were picked in the first two seasons. No woman player from Pakistan has so far been picked in the first five seasons of The Hundred.
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