67 Pakistan Players Register for Hundred
The England and Wales Cricket Board pushed back against reports of a "shadow-ban" on Pakistani players, confirming 67 have registered for The Hundred auction next month. However, concerns persist that IPL-linked team owners are declining to consider Pakistani players due to political and commercial pressures. Ben Stokes will not participate in this year's auction.
- Of the more than 620 players registered for the men's draft, 350 are from overseas, with Pakistan's contingent of 63 male players being one of the largest. Four players from Pakistan have also registered for the women's auction. - Top Pakistani players have set high reserve prices for the auction, with fast bowlers Naseem Shah and Shadab Khan listed at £120,000. Others like Mohammad Amir, Saim Ayub, and Imad Wasim have a reserve price of £78,500. - Four of the eight teams in The Hundred now have owners with ties to the Indian Premier League (IPL): Manchester Originals (Lucknow Super Giants), Northern Superchargers (Sunrisers Hyderabad), Southern Brave (Delhi Capitals), and Oval Invincibles (Mumbai Indians). - This pattern of exclusion of Pakistani players is also seen in other IPL-invested leagues; no Pakistani has played in South Africa's SA20, where all six teams are owned by IPL franchise groups. - Historically, very few Pakistani players have been selected for The Hundred; only nine have featured in the first four seasons of the men's competition. No woman from Pakistan has ever played in the tournament. - Notable absentees from the player registration list include two of Pakistan's highest-profile batters, Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan, though both had entered the draft in previous years. - The highest possible salary for a male player in The Hundred for 2025 is £200,000, a significant increase from the previous top band of £125,000.
