Pak Players Not To Be Bought For IPL-Linked The Hundred Franchises Over 'Unwritten Rule': Report
Shaheen Shah Afridi, Shadab Khan, and Haris Rauf are some of the top players to have featured in earlier seasons of the men's competition in The Hundred.
- Pakistani players face a partial boycott in The Hundred despite registering for the auction
- An unwritten rule bars IPL-owned franchises from buying Pakistani players in The Hundred
- Four Hundred teams have IPL ownership ties: Manchester, MI London, Southern Brave, SunRisers
After being barred from participating in the Indian Premier League (IPL), Pakistani players are set to face a 'partial boycott' in England's The Hundred. Though Pakistani players have registered for The Hundred auction, a report has claimed that an 'unwritten rule' bars IPL owners-owned franchises from buying Pakistani players in the auction despite the fact that the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) has no IPL-like ban on these players.
According to a report by the BBC, a senior official at the ECB has signalled that interest in Pakistan players would be limited to teams that do not have ties with IPL owners. Another agent, aware of the situation, described this as an "unwritten rule" in The Hundred auction books. Not just that, this 'rule' is in place across various leagues where there is Indian investment.
Since its inaugural season in 2021, England's The Hundred has seen its eight franchises draw investment in some form or other from the IPL owners. At present, Manchester Super Giants, MI London, Southern Brave, and SunRisers Leeds are four franchises with ownership ties to the Indian Premier League.
Asked about this development, James Sheridan, the deputy chair of Manchester Super Giants, told BBC: "The only conversations we've had are to pick the two best squads to give us the best possible chance of winning the two competitions."
On the surface, even an ECB spokesperson said that players would be picked from all teams in the world. "The Hundred welcomes men's and women's players from all over the world, and we would expect the eight teams to reflect that," the spokesperson said.
"Almost 1,000 cricketers from 18 nations have registered for The Hundred auction, with representation on the longlist of over 50 players respectively from Australia, South Africa, New Zealand, Pakistan and West Indies," the spokesperson added.
Shaheen Shah Afridi, Shadab Khan, and Haris Rauf are some of the top players to have featured in earlier seasons of the men's competition in The Hundred.
Pakistan Cricket Team