As the cricketing world turns its gaze to the upcoming auction for The Hundred, a storm of controversy brews over the potential exclusion of Pakistani players from teams with Indian ownership. At the center of the discussion stands Sahibzada Farhan, Pakistan’s dynamic opener, whose recent exploits have made him one of the most sought-after names in the T20 circuit. Yet, despite his impressive form and mounting anticipation, Farhan and his compatriots face uncertainty over whether they’ll find a place in the UK’s flagship short-format league.
Farhan, who has registered for The Hundred’s March 2026 auction with a base price of £50,000 (US$67,500), isn’t just another hopeful in a crowded field of over 950 players. Over the past six months, he’s set the T20 world alight—first with a stellar campaign at the 2025 T20 Asia Cup, and now as the current highest scorer in the ongoing T20 World Cup. Such credentials would usually make a player a shoo-in for franchise leagues, but this year’s auction is anything but ordinary.
The heart of the issue lies with ownership. Four of The Hundred’s eight franchises—MI London, Southern Brave, Manchester Super Giants, and SunRisers Leeds—are now owned by groups linked to Indian Premier League (IPL) teams. Since 2008, Pakistani players have been conspicuously absent from the IPL, a trend attributed to strained India-Pakistan relations following the 2008 Mumbai attacks. That exclusion has since bled into other leagues with Indian investment, including South Africa’s SA20 and the UAE’s ILT20, where Pakistani players have repeatedly been overlooked.
Reports surfaced in mid-February 2026, notably from the BBC, alleging that the IPL-owned Hundred teams would not bid for Pakistani players in the upcoming auction. According to these reports, messages from a senior England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) official to an agent suggested a shadow ban was in effect, though the ECB has denied seeing such messages and insists selection decisions must be based on merit. The Board’s managing director, Vikram Banerjee, even wrote to the franchises, reminding them that “any evidence of discrimination would prompt disciplinary action.”
Asked about the swirling rumors at a press conference ahead of Pakistan’s Super Eight clash against England in the T20 World Cup, Farhan struck a composed, philosophical note. “See, it’s not in our hands to decide who will pick us or not. That is not in our hands. Wherever we get a chance, those who are interested can pick us, and we are ready to play in that league,” Farhan told reporters. “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.”
Farhan’s remarks reflect the resigned optimism of many Pakistani cricketers, who have long found themselves on the outside looking in when it comes to leagues with Indian financial backing. Of the more than 950 players registered for this year’s Hundred auction, 63 are from Pakistan. Yet, only nine Pakistani players have featured in The Hundred’s first five seasons, often sidelined by scheduling conflicts with international fixtures or late withdrawals—such as those of Shaheen Afridi and Naseem Shah in 2024.
The scheduling headache isn’t going away this year, either. The Hundred’s 2026 season is set to overlap with Pakistan’s two-match Test tour of the West Indies, expected to start in late July. That clash could further limit the availability of top-tier Pakistani talent, even if franchises are willing to take a chance on them.
Geopolitical tensions between India and Pakistan have only deepened in the past year, following a brief but tense skirmish in May 2025. Against this backdrop, the absence of Pakistani players from leagues with Indian ownership has come to symbolize broader issues of access, representation, and discrimination within the global cricket economy.
The controversy has drawn in voices from across the cricketing spectrum. England’s white-ball captain Harry Brook weighed in, lamenting the potential loss of Pakistani stars from The Hundred. “There are some amazing cricketers and, yeah, they bring some great crowds as well. So it would be a shame not to see some of the Pakistan players in there and make the tournament and competition even better,” Brook told reporters.
Former England allrounder Moeen Ali, himself a veteran of franchise leagues worldwide, called for players to speak out against what he described as discriminatory practices. “It’s time for a solution, because it’s not fair,” Moeen told the Telegraph. “It’s obviously discriminating against certain types of people. It’s horrible. I just find it strange that no one really talks about it too much. Especially at the top, no one really mentions it. People have not been speaking about it so they don’t get in trouble.” Moeen acknowledged the risks involved in speaking up, noting, “It’s such a difficult one, because all these teams are everywhere in every league. So now if players speak out, or if they say anything, then it affects their career. It’s a difficult position for players to be in. When you’re an older player like myself, you don’t really care too much.”
The ECB, for its part, has sought to project a firm stance against discrimination. In a letter to all franchises, Banerjee emphasized that selection decisions must be grounded in merit and that any evidence of bias would be met with disciplinary action. The Board has also pushed back against the BBC’s reporting, stating that it has not seen the alleged messages and reaffirming its commitment to fairness.
Yet, for players like Farhan, the reality remains that their fate lies largely in the hands of franchise owners and the broader geopolitical climate. The American-owned Desert Vipers’ example at the 2025 ILT20 auction—where they were the only team without Indian ownership and the only one to sign Pakistani players, eventually winning the title—offers a glimmer of hope, but also underscores the challenges Pakistani players face in accessing the world’s top leagues.
With the auction for The Hundred just around the corner and the T20 World Cup still in full swing, the cricket world waits to see whether merit will truly trump politics this time. For now, all eyes remain on Sahibzada Farhan and his fellow hopefuls, as they continue to let their performances do the talking—on the field and off it.