KARACHI: Hundred franchises, partly owned by investors linked to the Indian Premier League (IPL), have overlooked Pakistani players in next month’s auction, English media reported on Thursday.
According to a report by a reputed English news publication, a senior England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) official told the agent that the interest in Pakistani players is limited to owners who do not own the companies that control the IPL teams.
The report further suggested that another agent described the practice as an “unwritten rule” across franchise leagues with IPL-linked investments.
Notably, a total of four The Hundred franchises – Manchester Supergiants, MI London, Southern Braves and Sunrisers Leeds – are partly owned by IPL investors, with the ECB last year raising £500m in private investment for its stake in each of the teams.
The development contradicts ECB chief executive Richard Gould’s comments last year, in which he assured that Pakistani cricketers would not face restrictions in The Hunter due to the influence of the IPL.
“We know the challenges Pakistani players face in other regions, but that doesn’t happen here,” Gould said, confirming the ECB’s stance on maintaining content.
Pakistani cricketers have not featured in the non-cash league since the inaugural edition in 2008, and their participation in South Africa’s SA20, UAE’s ILT20 and USA’s Major League Cricket (MLC) is minimal due to the IPL affiliation.
They were, however, regulars in England’s The Hundred, with Mohammad Amir and Imad Wasim joining the competition last year, the final season before new investors took over.