Former England captain Michael Vaughan has addressed the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB), asking them to take notice of a report published in leading media houses where agents have been quoted saying that The Hundred teams with Indian ownership have told them that they would not be interested in having Pakistani players in their roster for the upcoming season of the league.
Vaughan, a top voice of cricket on social media, took to X (formerly Twitter) to voice his concerns about the move, saying: “The ECB need to act fast on this .. 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.”
What problems do Indian owners of The Hundred teams have with Pakistan players?
While the problem has never been discussed on the face of it, since the relations between the two countries have not been healthy, franchises owned by Indians have generally avoided Pakistan players. This geopolitical friction has created a “shadow ban” effect across global T20 leagues.
| League | Indian-Owned Franchises | Pakistan Player Participation |
| IPL (India) | All 10 Teams | No (None since 2008) |
| SA20 (South Africa) | All 6 Teams | No (None since inception) |
| ILT20 (UAE) | MI Emirates, Abu Dhabi Knight Riders, Dubai Capitals | Rarely (Imad Wasim is a rare exception) |
| The Hundred (UK) | 4 Major Teams (MI, RPSG, GMR, Sun Group) | Likely No (Reports suggest a 2026 snub) |
Pakistanis in The Hundred: 64 register for mega auction in March
Before the involvement of Indian owners in The Hundred, a total of nine Pakistani players featured in the league. Among the teams co-owned by Indians now, Manchester Originals (now Manchester Super Giants) featured the most number of Pakistani players in their roster.
| Player | Previous Team in The Hundred | Matches Played |
| Usama Mir | Manchester Originals | 13 |
| Haris Rauf | Welsh Fire | 12 |
| Imad Wasim | Northern Superchargers / Trent Rockets | 10 |
| Mohammad Amir | London Spirit / Oval Invincibles | 6 |
| Shaheen Shah Afridi | Welsh Fire | 6 |
| Zaman Khan | Manchester Originals | 5 |
| Mohammad Hasnain | Oval Invincibles | 5 |
| Shadab Khan | Birmingham Phoenix | 3 |
| Wahab Riaz | Trent Rockets | 2 |
A total of 64 players from the South Asian nation have registered for the 2026 mega auction. Below are the prominent names and their respective categories:
| Reserve Price Tier | Key Pakistan Players Registered |
| £100,000 | Shaheen Shah Afridi, Shadab Khan, Haris Rauf, Mohammad Nawaz, Naseem Shah |
| £75,000 | Salman Ali Agha (C), Abrar Ahmed, Mohammad Amir, Zaman Khan, Usman Tariq |
| £50,000 | Faheem Ashraf, Sahibzada Farhan, Usama Mir, Imad Wasim, Abbas Afridi, Afaq Afridi |
| No Reserve | Over 40 players including Saim Ayub, Haider Ali, and Shahnawaz Dahani |
A total of four teams, namely Manchester Super Giants, MI London, Southern Brave, and Sunrisers Leeds, have Indian ownership. If they refuse to take Pakistani players, the chances for the 64 registered players from the South Asian nation would be halved even before heading to the auction room.
No Pakistanis in Indian Owned The Hundred teams: What have the ECB said?
The BBC, which reported this development, quoted an ECB official as saying: “Almost 1,000 cricketers from 18 nations have registered for The Hundred auction, with representation on the longlist of over 50 players respectively from Australia, South Africa, New Zealand, Pakistan and West Indies.”