Will Pakistan Stars Be Left Out of The Hundred? The New Reality Under Indian Ownership

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Pakistani cricket stars might find it difficult to get jobs in England's popular tournament, The Hundred, this year. According to a new report, teams that are partly owned by Indian investors are unlikely to pick any Pakistani players during next month's player auction.

The tournament recently changed its rules to allow private companies to buy stakes in the teams. Many of these buyers are the same groups that own teams in the Indian Premier League (IPL) and due to political tensions between India and Pakistan, they do not sign Pakistani players for their teams.

According to a report by the BBC, a senior official from the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) told a player agent that, "Interest in his Pakistan players would be limited to sides not linked to the IPL."

This situation has been seen in other leagues around the world, such as the SA20 in South Africa and the ILT20 in the UAE, where Indian-owned teams have zero Pakistani players. One player agent described this practice as:
"An unwritten rule across T20 leagues with Indian investment."

Which Teams are Affected?

Currently, four out of the eight teams in The Hundred have links to Indian ownership:

Manchester Super Giants (owned by the RPSG group)
MI London (owned by the Reliance group)
Southern Brave (partly owned by the GMR group)
Sunrisers Leeds (owned by the Sun group)

Despite the silence from the owners, the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) insist the door is open. An ECB spokesperson recently stated:

"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 pointed out that nearly 1,000 cricketers from 18 different countries have signed up for the auction. This includes over 50 players each from major nations like Pakistan, Australia, and South Africa. In the past, Pakistani players have been a big part of the tournament involving Imad Wasim played for the Northern Superchargers (now renamed Sunrisers Leeds) last season. Other famous names like Shaheen Shah Afridi, Mohammad Amir, Shadab Khan, and Haris Rauf have also featured in the league.

The global players' union is watching the situation closely. Tom Moffat, the chief executive of the World Cricketers' Association, made it clear that politics should stay out of selection. He stated: "Every player should have the right to fair and equal opportunity."

If these reports are true, famous players like Shaheen Shah Afridi, Babar Azam, and Haris Rauf might only be able to play for the four teams that are not owned by an Indian organisation.