Babar Azam’s teammate issues an official statement on The Hundred controversy involving Pakistani cricketers

A new storm is building around the next season of The Hundred, and this time it involves Pakistan’s Babar Azam, Shaheen Afridi, Haris Rauf and many others. There is strong talk in the British media that the four teams owned or co-owned by the IPL team owners may not pick Pakistani players in the player auction for the upcoming The Hundred.

IPL linked owners under scanner

The owners and stakeholders of the Manchester Super Giants, MI London, Southern Brave and Sunrisers Leeds own teams in the Indian Premier League (IPL), and they are in fact Indians. It is said that these four teams will not pick any Pakistani players in the auction.

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The Pakistani players have also been banned from the IPL following the 2011 Mumbai terror attack. Apart from the IPL, Pakistani cricketers have not been selected in the South African SA20 league and the UAE’s ILT20, which also have IPL-linked owners.

Sahibzada Farhan breaks silence on the excitement of The Hundred

Reacting to the rumours, Pakistan opener Sahibzada Farhan has clarified that players cannot decide who picks them and who doesn’t. However, Farhan said that every player dreams of playing in top leagues around the world and The Hundred is one of them.

Speaking at the press conference ahead of the Super 8 match between Pakistan and England at the 2026 T20 World Cup, Sahibzada Farhan said: “Look, it is not for us to decide who will pick us or not.

That is out of our hands. Wherever we get the opportunity, anyone who is interested can pick us, and we are ready to play in that league. And we are not interested in playing with the people – as you have spoken. I have a lot of hope; every player wants to play for every league, and The Hundred is one of the best leagues. So hope for the best.”

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67 Pakistani players in the auction pool

This issue has attracted attention as as many as 67 Pakistani cricketers, both men and women, have registered for the upcoming season of The Hundred. It includes almost the entire national team. Shaheen Afridi, Shadab Khan and Haris Rauf have played in the 100-ball tournament before.

Meanwhile, England captain Harry Brook recently said it would be disappointing if Pakistani players missed out as they add excitement and quality to every tournament.

Recently Brook said at the press conference, “There are some great cricketers, and yes, and they bring a lot of crowd too. So it would be a shame not to see some Pakistani players there and make the tournament and the competition even better.”

ECB responds to increasing noise

However, no team has officially said they will ignore Pakistani players, but the reports caused enough controversy for the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) to take action. The ECB has now sent a formal message to all eight teams playing in The Hundred.

In that message, the ECB reminded franchises of their obligation to follow fair selection rules and anti-discrimination policies. They made it clear that no selection call should violate regulations or appear biased.