Pakistan cricket team (AP Photo) The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) has sent letters to directors of cricket in all 8 hundred franchises warning them not to discriminate against Pakistani players in the 2026 auction.The letter comes after the BBC revealed it had seen messages from a senior ECB official suggesting to the agent that interest in its Pakistan players would be limited to sides not affiliated with the Indian Premier League (IPL). Half of the eight teams in the 100 – Manchester Super Giants, MI London, Southern Brave and Sunrisers Leeds – are partly or wholly owned by companies that manage IPL teams.
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Players from Pakistan have not appeared in the IPL since 2009 following the 2008 Mumbai terror attacks. All six teams in South Africa’s SA20 are owned by IPL franchise groups, including the four that have invested in the Hundred.In four seasons, there was not a single Pakistani player in the competition. Indian franchises in the International League T20 and Major League Cricket have not always signed Pakistani players.The ECB sold its 49% stake in each of the eight hundred franchises last year. Sixty-seven players from Pakistan – 63 men and four women – have registered for the Hundred auction to be held on March 11 and 12. Pakistan’s Saim Ayub, Shadab Khan, Muhammad Nawaz and Naseem Shah all registered for the top men’s starting price of £100,000.In an email to franchises, the ECB warned that teams would face disciplinary action if there was evidence of discrimination in their recruitment for this season. However, a Pakistani agent told Telegraph Sport “it’s a given” that Pakistani players will be excluded from Indian-owned teams.
