The Hundred: 50+ Pakistani Players Register for Auction, but Will Indian Investors Impose an ‘IPL-Style Shadow Ban’?
London/Lahore: More than 50 Pakistani cricketers, including pace sensation Shaheen Shah Afridi, all-rounder Shadab Khan, and fast bowler Haris Rauf, have registered for the upcoming player auction of England’s premier franchise tournament, The Hundred. However, their participation is now clouded by a growing controversy surrounding the tournament’s new Indian investors.Following the England and Wales Cricket…
London/Lahore: More than 50 Pakistani cricketers, including pace sensation Shaheen Shah Afridi, all-rounder Shadab Khan, and fast bowler Haris Rauf, have registered for the upcoming player auction of England’s premier franchise tournament, The Hundred. However, their participation is now clouded by a growing controversy surrounding the tournament’s new Indian investors.
Following the England and Wales Cricket Board’s (ECB) decision to bring in Indian stakeholders as franchise owners in The Hundred, serious questions are being raised about whether these investors will informally block Pakistani players from being picked — mirroring the unwritten but widely acknowledged exclusion of Pakistani cricketers from the Indian Premier League (IPL).
While no official ban on Pakistani players exists in the IPL, the reality is that no Pakistani cricketer has ever featured in the tournament since its inception in 2008 — a situation widely attributed to political tensions between India and Pakistan rather than merit.
Cricket analysts and fans fear a similar “shadow ban” could now extend to The Hundred, potentially depriving the tournament of world-class talent and undermining its global appeal.
The ECB is yet to issue a clear statement addressing these concerns, a silence that many observers find troubling. Critics argue that if commercial interests are allowed to override cricketing merit, it would set a dangerous precedent for the sport’s future as a truly global game.
