London: The England and Wales Cricket Board and all eight The Hundred team owners have jointly reaffirmed their commitment to ensuring the tournament is inclusive, welcoming and accessible.
The Hundred was founded with the express purpose of reaching out to new audiences, expanding cricket’s reach and ensuring that everyone, regardless of race, gender, creed, nationality or background, feels a sense of belonging to the game.
This guiding principle was fundamental from the beginning and continues to underpin all activities.
As the governing body responsible for delivering competition, the ECB has emphasized its zero-tolerance approach to discrimination, with strong regulations in place to address such behaviour.
The board has made it clear that players should not be excluded on the basis of nationality.
All the eight teams have committed to making selection decisions based solely on cricket performance, player availability and the specific needs of each team.
This position reflects the ECB’s wider ambition to position cricket as the most inclusive sport in the country, creating opportunities, breaking down barriers and ensuring players from all backgrounds have equal pathways to the highest level of the game.
“We want The Hundred to feature the very best talent from around the world and will continue to be proactive in ensuring that the competition is a benchmark for inclusion,” the board said.
The clarification follows reports in the English media that The Hundred franchises – owned by investors linked to the Indian Premier League (IPL) – are ready to look at Pakistani players in next month’s draft.
According to a report by a leading English news publication, a senior ECB official allegedly told an agent that interest in Pakistani players was limited to owners who did not own the companies that control the IPL teams.
The report further pointed out that another agent characterized the practice as an “unwritten rule” across franchise leagues with IPL-linked investments.
Notably, four branches of Manchester Super Giants, MI London, Southern Braves and Sunrisers Leeds were partially acquired by IPL investors.
The development appears to contradict assurances given last year by ECB chief executive Richard Gould, who said Pakistani cricketers would not face restrictions in The Hunter as a result of IPL influence.
“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.
Notably, Pakistani cricketers have not featured in the IPL since the inaugural edition in 2008, and their participation in other leagues with IPL affiliations, including South Africa’s SA20, UAE’s ILT20 and USA’s Major League Cricket (MLC), has also been minimal.
However, they were regular participants in The Hundred, with Mohammad Amir and Imad Wasim taking part in the competition last year – the final season before new investors took control.