Most of the players in Pakistan’s T20 World Cup squad have registered for The Hundred auction, which will be held in London next month. Salman Ali Aga, Shaheen Afridi, Saeem Ayub, Usman Tariq, Haris Rauf and Shadab Khan have registered for The Hundred auction, but Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan have not registered.
A total of 711 players from all over the world including Pakistan have participated in the auction. More than 50 Pakistani cricketers have registered for the auction. However, reports suggest that more than half of the eight teams, which are owned by Indian investors, may shy away from bidding for Pakistan players.
Hundred franchises associated with India can avoid Pakistani players
London Spirit (owned by US-based tech investors), MI Oval (Reliance Industries), Manchester Supergiants (RPSG Group), Southern Brave (GMR Group), Sunrisers Leeds (Sun TV), and Welsh Fire (owned by US-based Sanjay Govil) are all Indian-owned.
According to reports in the English media, these franchises are unlikely to bid for any Pakistani player listed in the auction pool. BBC reported that Indian-owned teams are not considering Pakistani cricketers for next month’s auction.
However, some franchises told Cricbuzz that they have not ruled out any possibilities yet and will focus on picking the strongest possible team. The auction of The Hundred is scheduled to take place on March 11 and 12.
Over 50 Pakistani players register for The Hundred auction; No Babar Azam, Mohammad Rizwan
According to ESPNcricinfo, more than 50 Pakistani players have registered for The Hundred draft to be held next month. This list includes Shaheen Afridi, Shadab Khan, Haris Rauf, Saim Ayub and Usman Tariq.
Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan have not entered the draft. Even if selected, his availability will be limited due to Pakistan’s Test series against West Indies in August. Pakistan’s white-ball teams have no international matches scheduled during The Hundred window from July 21 to August 16.
Only nine Pakistani players have featured in the first five seasons of the tournament. Teams have often been cautious due to international schedule conflicts and late withdrawals in previous years, including the withdrawal of Afridi and Naseem Shah in 2024.
The Hundred welcomes players from around the world – ECB spokesperson
Geopolitical tensions between India and Pakistan increased last year. The Pakistan government threatened to boycott the group-stage match against India before allowing the team to play. However, the ECB said that The Hundred is open to players from all over the world.
An ECB spokesperson said, “The Hundred welcomes men and women players from around the world and we would expect the eight teams to reflect this.”
“Nearly 1,000 cricketers from 18 countries have registered for The Hundred auction, with Australia, South Africa, New Zealand, Pakistan and West Indies representing over 50 players respectively.”
Bangladesh fast bowler Mustafizur Rahman has entered the upcoming The Hundred auction. Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) canceled his contract following a request from the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI).
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