Major setback for Pakistan players; to miss out on The Hundred contracts due to THIS reason - Reports

The Hundred 2026 is scheduled to be played from July 21 to August 16.

As the upcoming season of The Hundred draws near, things are already happening behind the scenes. This season of the Hundred is coming in with more money and new private investment, especially with owners of Indian Premier League (IPL) franchises taking over the command.

Pakistan cricket players could once again find themselves on the outside looking in. Players from Pakistan may not be able to sign contracts with Hundred teams owned by IPL owners in the upcoming auction, according to a BBC report.

The Hundred 2026 is scheduled to be played from July 21 to August 16. The league will see a massive rise in player salaries, and unfortunately Pakistan players are unlikely to benefit from this.

IPL owners-owned Hundred franchises to not consider Pakistani players for next month’s player auction

The Hundred is an eight-franchise competition. Teams such as Manchester Super Giants, MI London, Southern Brave and Sunrisers Leeds are partly owned by entities that also control IPL franchises. That connection appears to be at the heart of the issue.

As per the reports, Pakistan players might not get contracts with franchises owned by IPL teams. It is learned that the management have decided not to consider them for next month’s player auction. This is due to the political tensions between India and Pakistan.

“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,” said BBC in a report. “Another agent described the situation as ‘an unwritten rule’ across T20 leagues with Indian investment,” the report added.

Last year, Richard Gould, the ECB chief executive, had reportedly said he expected “players from all nations to be selected for all teams” in The Hundred. He also stressed on the fact that the organisers had implemented “clear anti-discrimination policies” to ensure fairness.

“The Hundred welcomes men and women players from all over the world and we would expect the eight teams to reflect that,” said an ECB spokesperson. “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.”

“Every player should have the right to fair and equal opportunity,” the report quoted Tom Moffat, chief executive of the World Cricketers’ Association, the global players’ union, as saying.

The pattern has although, raised many eyebrows even though there is no official confirmation of the exclusion. There is a thing to be noted that no Pakistani cricketer has featured in SA20 since its launch in 2023 — a league where all six teams are owned by IPL-linked franchise groups.

Similarly, in the UAE’s ILT20, franchises connected to India have reportedly not signed Pakistan players across four seasons. The development on this will be one to watch out for.

For more updates, follow Khel Now Cricket on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Youtube; download the Khel Now Android App or IOS App and join our community on Whatsapp & Telegram.