The England and Wales Cricket Board and all eight Hundred franchises have vowed that no player should be excluded from the competition on the basis of nationality.
Earlier this week, the BBC reported that the four Indian-owned clubs participating in the competition – Manchester Super Giants, MI London, Southern Brave and Sunrisers Leeds – would not consider signing Pakistani players due to ongoing tensions between the two countries.
The update comes after the ECB sent a letter to all The Hundred teams ahead of the March player auction reminding them of their responsibilities regarding discrimination, and all parties reaffirming their commitment to exclusive competition where everyone is welcome.
“The Hundred was founded to reach new audiences, grow the game of cricket and ensure that everyone feels like they belong in our sport, regardless of their ethnicity, gender, faith or nationality. This has been our guiding principle from the beginning and remains at the heart of everything we do,” an ECB statement said.
“As the board responsible for the organization of the tournament, the ECB is committed to ensuring that there is no scope for discrimination and has regulations in place to take firm action against such behavior. No player should be excluded on the basis of his or her nationality.”
“All eight teams are committed to making selections based solely on cricket performance, availability and the needs of each team.
67 Pakistani athletes (63 men and 4 women) participated in the March Hundred auction.
“This reflects the ECB’s broader commitment to making cricket the most inclusive sport, creating opportunities, breaking down barriers and ensuring players from all backgrounds have a fair and equal path to the top of the game.
“We want The Hundred to feature the best talent from around the world, and we continue to actively work to ensure this competition becomes a benchmark for inclusivity.”
A total of 67 Pakistani players (63 men and 4 women), including Shaheen Shah Afridi, Shadab Khan, Haris Rauf and Naseem Shah, have put their names forward for the auction to be held in London on March 11-12.
Two Pakistani players, Mohammad Amir and Imad Wasim, appeared in the 2025 edition of The Hundred for the last time before private investment.
The four teams not affiliated with the IPL are London Spirit, Birmingham Phoenix, Trent Rockets and Welsh Fire.
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England captain Harry Brook says it would be ‘a shame’ if Pakistan players were left out of The Hundred
Since 2009, Pakistani players have been effectively banned from playing in the IPL, but very few players have also played in other franchise leagues with Indian owners.
England’s white captain Harry Brook, who plays for Indian-owned Sunrisers this summer, was asked on Saturday about reports that Pakistani cricketers had been excluded from The Hundred, which will be played from July 21 to August 16.
Brook, who is currently leading England in the T20 World Cup in India and Sri Lanka, said: “Pakistan has been a great cricketing nation for many years. They have some great cricketers and they bring in great crowds as well.”
“It’s a shame that some of the Pakistani players can’t be there and make this tournament and the competition even better.”
