The Hundred: Indian Premier League-linked teams ‘not considering Pakistani players’

Pakistani cricketers are not being considered by Indian-owned sides to participate in next month’s Hundred auction, sources told BBC Sport.

Players from Pakistan have not featured in the Indian Premier League (IPL) since 2009 due to diplomatic tensions between the two countries.

Four of The Hundred’s eight franchises – Manchester Super Giants, MI London, Southern Brave and Sunrisers Leeds – are at least partly owned by the companies that control the IPL teams.

In letters seen by the BBC, a senior official from the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) indicated to an agent that interest in its Pakistani players would be limited to parties not associated with the Indian Premier League.

Another agent described the situation as an “unwritten rule” across T20 leagues with Indian investment.

ECB chief executive Richard Gould said last year he expected “players from all countries to be selected for all teams” at The Hundred and warned there were “clear anti-discrimination policies”.

None of the four teams or ownership groups involved responded to requests for comment.

An ECB spokesman said: “The 100 welcomes men and women players from all over the world, and we expect the eight teams to reflect that.

“Nearly 1,000 cricketers from 18 countries have registered for The Hundred auction, with representation on the long list of over 50 players respectively from Australia, South Africa, New Zealand, Pakistan and the West Indies.”