The rivalry between India and Pakistan at the political level appears to exert an ineluctable influence upon the cricketing arena as well, as a report has alleged the systematic marginalisation of Pakistani cricketers in England’s newest competition, wherein none were secured by four of the eight franchises that are at least partially owned by Indian investors who also exercise dominion over teams in the Indian Premier League.
The controversy centres on The Hundred, the 100-ball tournament conceived by the England and Wales Cricket Board to rejuvenate domestic cricket and captivate younger audiences, yet now enmeshed in allegations that geopolitics may be shaping recruitment decisions.
According to a report by BBC, the IPL-linked franchises — Manchester Super Giants, MI London, Southern Brave and Sunrisers Leeds — are not expected to consider Pakistani players at the forthcoming auction scheduled for March 11-12, although none of the four teams has publicly confirmed the claim.
The franchises in question are connected to owners of teams in the Indian Premier League, a competition from which Pakistani players have been absent since the aftermath of the 2008 Mumbai terror attacks, and the perceived replication of that exclusion in England has prompted scrutiny.
The ECB, while retaining full ownership and regulatory authority over The Hundred, has divested stakes to investors from India and the United States in order to generate substantial capital for the financially beleaguered domestic game.
In response to the allegations, the ECB circulated a formal communication to all eight franchises, reminding them of their statutory obligations and warning that any evidence of discrimination, including the exclusion of players on grounds of nationality, would invite punitive action.
Britain’s Press Association has reported that substantiated complaints could be referred to the independent Cricket Regulator, with the ECB reserving the right to initiate separate proceedings.
Of the 964 players registered for the auction, 67 are from Pakistan, yet none were selected at last year’s auction, although Mohammad Amir and Imad Wasim later featured as replacements.
High-profile figures such as Shaheen Shah Afridi and Haris Rauf have previously participated, while England’s limited-overs captain Harry Brook, signed by Sunrisers Leeds for a record fee, described the potential exclusion of Pakistani players as a regrettable diminution of the tournament’s competitive integrity.
The 2026 edition of The Hundred is scheduled to run from July 21 to August 16, even as questions linger over whether cricket can ever remain insulated from the vicissitudes of subcontinental politics.