A new report regarding England’s famous franchise league The Hundred has created a stir in the cricket world. It is reported that the teams which have stake in the Indian Premier League (IPL) franchises will not bid on any Pakistani player in the auction to be held next month. This claim has been made in a BBC report, in which a player agent was quoted as calling it an ‘unwritten rule’. There are those restrictions or guidelines of behavior, which are not written anywhere nor formally stated, but people accept them with tacit consent. These are also called ‘unspoken rules’.
Status of Indian investments and Pakistani players
It has been seen earlier in T20 leagues around the world that where there is Indian investment or direct involvement of IPL owners, there is no entry of Pakistani players. For example, no Pakistani player played in IPL after the first season of 2008. All six South African SA20 teams are owned by IPL groups and there were no Pakistani players to be seen there either. The situation has been similar in UAE’s ILT20 also. Now IPL franchise owners have stake in four out of eight teams of The Hundred, which became effective from October 1, 2025. According to the report, these teams will not bid on Pakistani players.
In which teams do IPL owners have stake?
The teams whose names have appeared in the report include:
manchester super giants
southern brave
mi london
sunrisers leads
The report states that a senior official of the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) indicated to an agent that interest in its Pakistani players may be limited only to teams that have no connection with the IPL.
Is this step against the rules?
The Hundred is now under the control of the Independent Cricket Regulator, which was established following the 2023 ‘Equity in Cricket’ report. In such a situation, ignoring a player on the basis of nationality can be considered against the rules. An ECB spokesperson said: ‘The Hundred welcomes men and women players from around the world and we expect all eight teams to show global representation.’ According to the report, this time around 1000 players from 18 countries have registered for the auction, which includes more than 50 players from Australia, South Africa, New Zealand, Pakistan and West Indies.
Response of authorities and organizations
ECB chief executive Richard Gould said last year: ‘We expect players from all nationalities to be selected for all teams. We have clear anti-discrimination policies. World Cricketers Association chief executive Tom Moffat said, ‘Every player should get fair and equal opportunities. Even though franchisees have autonomy in recruitment, decisions should always be in line with the principles of equality and respect.’
Who played first?
Last season, Mohammad Aamir and Imad Wasim participated in ‘The Hundred’. Before this, Shaheen Afridi, Shadab Khan and Haris Rauf have also played in this league.
What next?
If the report proves true then this matter will not be limited to cricket only, but will also raise bigger questions like investment, nationalism and fair opportunities in sports. Is this simply a business strategy, or a sign of a growing gap in global cricket? Now all eyes are on the auction, where it will be clear whether talent on the field or the impact of investment will win.