The Hundred Auction: ECB mentions cricketing rationale but inconsistencies cannot be ignored

Following reports that Indian owners are unlikely to consider Pakistani players in the upcoming auction of The Hundred, the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) has sent a letter to the franchises on the issue. Vikram Banerjee, the CEO of The Hundred, has urged teams to pick players on sporting merit, but contradictions in the ECB's position are apparent.

The ECB letter states: "Player selection must always be based on cricketing rationale, availability and team performance strategy/needs. No one should be denied a place in The Hundred because of their nationality… Our competition will thrive when the best available talent – domestic and international – is given the opportunity to perform."

However, the ECB's stance exposes inconsistencies. Over the first five seasons of The Hundred, Pakistani representation has been minimal:

• Only two Pakistani players featured across the 2021, 2022, and 2025 seasons.
• No Pakistani women players have featured in the competition's five seasons.
• In 2023 and 2024, there were six and four players respectively, but for most seasons, six of the eight franchises had no Pakistani players.
• Last year, no Pakistani player was picked in the draft; the two who played (Imad Wasim and Mohammad Amir) were replacement signings.

Teams can sign a maximum of four overseas players for their squad, with two permitted to be signed directly before the auction. If a franchise is pressured to use one of its two remaining auction slots on a Pakistani player, it raises the question of whether that selection would be based purely on "cricketing rationale."

Cricbuzz reported that 63 Pakistani men, including Shaheen Afridi, Shadab Khan, Haris Rauf, and Mohammad Amir, have registered for the March 11-12 auction.

The ECB's email comes amid reports that players may speak out on the issue. Moeen Ali commented: "There'll be a group of players that will speak up… It'd be really interesting to see what happens, because… in the UK, we have a bit more say about these things."

Six of the eight franchises have Indian connections or ownership. Four of those management groups have direct IPL links (Mumbai Indians, Delhi Capitals, Lucknow Super Giants, Sunrisers Hyderabad). These owners have generally avoided signing Pakistani players in other overseas leagues like the SA20 or ILT20 due to political tensions, though there has never been an official blanket ban.