Almost all members of Pakistan’s T20 World Cup squad, including captain Salman Ali Agha, Shaheen Afridi, Saim Ayub, and Usman Tariq, have registered for The Hundred auction scheduled for March 11-12 in London
Despite widespread reports that six of the eight franchises with Indian ownership connections may avoid bidding for Pakistani players due to ongoing diplomatic tensions between the two nations.
The auction features 711 players from all cricket-playing nations except India, with 63 Pakistani cricketers listed.
However, BBC Sport reported that “Pakistan cricketers are not being considered by Indian-owned sides,” citing sources within the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB).
Six Franchises Have Indian Connections
MI Oval (Reliance Industries), Manchester SuperGiants (RPSG Group), Southern Brave (GMR Group), SunRisers Leeds (Sun TV), Welsh Fire (Sanjay Govil), and London Spirit (US-based tech investors) all have Indian ownership ties. Four teams, Mumbai Indians, Delhi Capitals, Lucknow SuperGiants, and SunRisers Hyderabad, have direct IPL links.
These franchises have consistently avoided signing Pakistani players in overseas leagues, including South Africa’s SA20 andthe UAE’s ILT20. Only the Desert Vipers in ILT20 currently feature a Pakistani player.
Top Pakistani Players and Base Prices
Shaheen Afridi, Shadab Khan, Haris Rauf, Muhammad Nawaz, and Naseem Shah headline the list with GBP 100,000 base prices.
Abrar Ahmed, Muhammad Amir, Zaman Kha,n and Usman Tariq carry GBP 75,000 floor prices, while Salman Ali Agha is valued at GBP 75,000. Faheem Ashraf, Usama Mir, Imad Wasi,m and the Afridi brothers (Abbas and Afaq) have GBP 50,000 base prices.
Teams must buy 16-18 players for men’s squads with an overall salary pot of GBP 2.05 million per team.
The women’s competition salary pot has doubled to GBP 880,000. Despite the uncertainty, Pakistani players remain hopeful of securing contracts with the two non-Indian-owned franchises.
