Pakistani cricketers are once again expected to miss out on a major overseas league, as reports suggest that IPL-linked ownership groups may avoid bidding for them in next month’s Hundred auction.
According to sources close to player agents, several franchises in The Hundred are now fully or partially owned by groups that also run teams in the Indian Premier League. The message being conveyed informally is that Pakistani players are unlikely to attract interest from teams connected to IPL ownership. Any potential bids are expected to come only from franchises without IPL links.
This situation continues a long pattern where political tensions between Pakistan and India have affected cricketing ties. Pakistani players have not featured in the IPL since 2009 due to diplomatic issues, and critics believe that the same political influence is now shaping decisions in other leagues through franchise ownership structures.
In previous editions of The Hundred, Pakistani players such as Mohammad Amir and Imad Wasim took part, while Shaheen Afridi, Shadab Khan, and Haris Rauf also represented different teams in earlier seasons. However, the current ownership landscape appears to have changed the dynamics ahead of the upcoming auction.
A similar trend has been observed in South Africa’s SA20 league, where no Pakistani player has featured since the tournament began, as all franchises are owned by IPL-related groups. In the UAE’s ILT20, most IPL-linked teams reportedly stayed away from signing Pakistani players, although Desert Vipers made selections and later went on to win their first ILT20 title.
The developments have raised concerns among observers who argue that such practices limit opportunities for Pakistani players in leagues that promote themselves as global competitions. While there is no official ban, the growing influence of IPL ownership across international franchise cricket is increasingly seen as a barrier for Pakistan’s cricketers.
