The England and Wales Cricket Board and all eight Hundred franchises have issued a joint statement reaffirming their commitment to ensuring The Hundred remains “inclusive, welcoming and open to all” following widespread reports that Pakistani cricketers were being excluded by Indian-owned teams for the upcoming auction scheduled for March 11-12.
ECB’s Clear Position on Player Selection
The statement emphasizes that “players must not be excluded on the grounds of their nationality”, a direct response to earlier reports revealing that six of the eight franchises with Indian ownership connections were not considering Pakistani players despite 63 being registered for the auction.
The ECB committed to ensuring “there is no place for discrimination” and confirmed regulations are in place “to take robust action to tackle any such conduct.”
All eight teams have committed that selection will be “based solely on cricketing performance, availability, and the needs of each team.”
Context: Indian-Owned Franchises and Pakistani Players
Six franchises: MI Oval (Reliance Industries), Manchester SuperGiants (RPSG Group), Southern Brave (GMR Group), SunRisers Leeds (Sun TV), Welsh Fire (Sanjay Govil) and London Spirit, have Indian ownership connections.
Four have direct IPL links through Mumbai Indians, Delhi Capitals, Lucknow SuperGiants and SunRisers Hyderabad.
These franchises have historically avoided signing Pakistani players in overseas leagues including South Africa’s SA20 and UAE’s ILT20 due to ongoing diplomatic tensions between India and Pakistan.
No Pakistani players have featured in SA20 since its 2023 launch.
Industry Reaction and Pressure
The joint statement came after significant pressure from cricket fans, analysts and the World Cricketers’ Association, whose chief executive Tom Moffat stated: “Every player should have the right to fair and equal opportunity.
While employers have autonomy in recruitment, those decisions should always align with principles of fairness, equality and respect.”
The auction proceeds as scheduled with all 711 registered players theoretically eligible for selection by all eight franchises.
