The Hundred: Coaches have not been asked to avoid Pakistani players in the auction

Coaches of the 100 teams with investments from the Indian Premier League say they have not been steered away from signing Pakistani players.

BBC Sport reported in February that the 400 franchises associated with the Indian Premier League would not sign Pakistani players, reversing a ban in place in India.

All 800 franchises and the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) issued a joint statement afterwards which said “players may not be excluded on the basis of nationality”.

As expected, the two Pakistani players participating in Wednesday’s auction for the women’s 100 were not bought by any of the eight teams.

On Thursday, 17 Pakistani men will participate in the men’s auction, including fast bowlers Haris Rauf and Shaheen Afridi, and spinner Usman Tariq.

Hundred Side Sunrisers Leeds are part of the global Sunrisers network, with teams in India and South Africa.

Sunrisers Eastern Cape is one of six teams in the SA20 – all of which have links to IPL ownership and none of which have fielded a Pakistani player at all.

Adi Birrell, the head coach of Sunrise Leeds women’s team and Sunrise Eastern Cape men’s team, said he has never been asked not to sign a Pakistani player.

“No, I didn’t do that,” he told BBC Sport. “I’m sure there will be some interest in some players tomorrow.”

Asked if he thought there would be interest in Pakistani players from teams with links to the Indian Premier League, he said: “I think so, but I don’t know. I assume so. I haven’t heard that they won’t make a bid for them.”

Sunrisers Leeds is one of the two hundred wholly-owned IPL franchises, along with Southern Brave, who were bought by the part-owners of Delhi Capitals.

“The only thing I’ve been told is to sign the best players to make this team the best team possible,” Brave women’s head coach Jonathan Batty said.

“We had no other instructions than those, and we had complete independence about who we signed. That’s how it was with the women’s team.”