Pakistan cricketers went unsold in The Hundred

In a surprising development, all Pakistan players went unsold in the recently concluded The Hundred 2025 player draft, which took here at the Lord’s.

A total of 50 Pakistan cricketers, including five women were registered for the tournament.

With limited overseas slots and a competitive selection process, it was not entirely surprising that women cricketers – Aliya Riaz, Fatima Sana, Yusra Amir, Iram Javed and Jaweria Rauf – remained unpicked.

However, what was really surprising, not a single franchise showed interest in 45 male cricketers registered for the draft, despite several overseas slots still being available across the teams.

Naseem Shah was the highest-priced Pakistani player at £120,000. Meanwhile, experienced all-rounder Imad Wasim and rising star Saim Ayub had set their reserve price at £78,500.

Shadab Khan, Hasan Ali, and Mohammad Hasnain were listed with a reserve price of £63,000. In contrast, several others, including Mohammad Abbas, Haider Ali and Ammad Butt, had registered without specifying a reserve price.

The reason behind the snub is due to investment of Indian Premier League (IPL) owners in the league.

The IPL has had a complicated relationship with Pakistani players. Since 2008, Pakistan players have not been allowed to participate in the league.

Another reason behind being overlook was due to their uncertain availability for the entirety of the tournament, scheduled to run from August 5 to 31.

Notably, Pakistan are set to play a three-match ODI and T20I series against West Indies from July 31 to August 12, which will clash with The Hundred’s window.

Remember, ECB Chief Executive Richard Gould had assured last month that Pakistani cricketers would not face restrictions in The Hundred due to IPL influence.