Pakistan Seeks ECB Assurance as IPL-Owned Teams May Snub Its Players

Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) officials are expected to write to the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB), urging them to ensure Pakistani players are treated fairly in the player auction scheduled for March 11 and 12, the Telecom Asia Sport said in a report.

According to media reports in England, agents representing Pakistan cricketers have been informed they are not being considered by Manchester Super Giants, MI London, Southern Brave and Sunrisers Leeds, the four franchises that are co-owned by owners if IPL teams.

Sources told www.telecomasia.net that Pakistan officials view any blanket exclusion as contrary to the principles of inclusivity the ECB promotes.

"The Pakistan Cricket Board, through Salman Naseer, is due to write to the ECB asking them to ensure Pakistani players are not treated unfairly," sources told Telecom Asia Sport.

"Any bias would go against the ECB's commitment to inclusivity and equal opportunity for Asian players."

The report said that officials also point to traditionally strong cricketing relations between England and Pakistan, noting that fears about Pakistani participation in the competition surfaced previously.

Last season, both Imad Wasim and Mohammad Amir featured for the Northern Superchargers, evidence, they sources say, that participation has been both viable and successful.

The report claimed that this year, dozens of Pakistan players, across men's and women's categories, have registered for the auction, highlighting strong interest from the country's talent pool.

The report said that the issue has also drawn reaction within England's cricketing community.

White-ball captain Harry Brook criticised the idea of Pakistan players being overlooked.

"Pakistan have been a great cricket nation for many years and have some awesome players... It would be a shame not to see some of them in The Hundred," Brook saidon the sidelies of the T20 World Cup 2026.

Former England captain Michael Vaughan has also urged the ECB to examine the situation closely.

The report said that for Pakistan, the issue is about more about the credibility of a global competition built on diversity and merit rather than auction dynamics.

With the auction approaching, attention now turns to whether the ECB will step in, and whether The Hundred can balance franchise autonomy with the inclusive principles it publicly champions, the report claimed.

However, it will be impossible for ECB to prove that it was not team composition and auction dynamics that prevailed and the franchises deliberately ignore the Pakistani players.

- IANS