Shaheen Shah Afridi, Shadab Khan and Haris Rauf headline a group of more than 50 Pakistan cricketers who have put their names forward for next month’s Hundred auctions in Piccadilly – part of a wider pool of around 950 registrants. The build-up, though, has been overshadowed by suggestions that new Indian investment in four of the eight men’s franchises could lead to an unofficial block on bids for Pakistan players.
Those claims, carried by the BBC on Thursday, hinge on a set of text messages said to have come from a “senior official” at the England and Wales Cricket Board. The ECB says it has not seen the messages, dismisses any notion of a policy against Pakistan participants, and points out that registration numbers remain healthy.
A spokesperson added, off-the-record, that franchise owners will make their own sporting decisions on the auction floor. In short: no instructions, no blacklist, no ban.
Former England captain Michael Vaughan remains unconvinced, urging clearer reassurance. “The ECB need to act fast on this,” Vaughan wrote on X. “They own the league and this should not be allowed to happen .. the most inclusive sport in the country is not one that allows this to happen.”
Leaving politics aside, the cricket calendar is still the toughest filter. Pakistan host West Indies for a three-Test series in August, shrinking the availability of senior players such as Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan – neither of whom has entered the auction. Pakistan’s white-ball group, by contrast, is free from 21 July to 16 August, the exact Hundred window, which explains the strong turnout from T20 specialists.
Availability is one factor behind a modest Pakistani footprint in the competition to date: only nine appearances over five editions, many disrupted by late withdrawals or injury. Concerns over workload and the ever-tight international schedule also play a part.
Auction mechanics
• Women’s auction: 11 March, Piccadilly, London
• Men’s auction: 12 March, same venue
• Eight teams per gender, £100,000 top reserve in the men’s list, £40,000 in the women’s
• Retentions already finalised; squads will be completed in March
Privatisation and new money
Four franchises now carry IPL pedigree: MI London (backed by Mumbai Indians), Manchester Super Giants (Lucknow), Sunrisers Leeds (Hyderabad) and Southern Brave (Delhi Capitals co-owners GMR). Of those, only the GMR group has previously signed Pakistan players in other competitions – Imad Wasim, Zaman Khan and Shan Masood among them. The remaining three have yet to dip a toe, fuelling suspicion – fair or not – that business ties in India could influence cricketing choices in England.
A senior analyst involved in multiple leagues disagrees with the idea of a blanket veto. “Owners usually want the best side on the park,” he says. “If Shaheen is available for a full season at a sensible price, it’s hard to ignore that value, regardless of geopolitics.”
Players in the mix
Aside from Afridi, Shadab and Rauf, top-order dasher Saim Ayub, young quick Usman Tariq and left-arm spinner Mohammad Nawaz have all entered. Mustafizur Rahman, released by Kolkata Knight Riders at the BCCI’s request last month, is another high-profile name looking for a summer deal in England rather than the Caribbean Premier League.
Franchise officers contacted over the past 48 hours offered mixed signals. One suggested that “clarity from the ECB would be helpful, purely from a communications point of view”. Another shrugged: “We’ll bid on whoever fits the budget.”
Broader context
No Pakistan international has played in the IPL since 2008, after the Mumbai terror attacks raised diplomatic tensions. Expansion into other T20 properties – SA20, ILT20, Major League Cricket – has largely followed that dividing line, although a few independent ventures, notably in the United States, have signed Pakistan players without incident.
Whether the Hundred replicates the IPL’s stance or charts its own path will become clear on 11-12 March. For now, the best indicator is the auction register: Pakistan players remain keen, and the ECB insists nothing stands in their way except the paddle work of the eight franchises.
The next month should reveal whether that promise is matched by cheques – and by playing time come July, when the Hundred starts again at Lord’s.
