The chief executive of the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB), Richard Gould, has clarified that the participation of Pakistani players in the upcoming seasons of The Hundred will remain unaffected, despite the involvement of Indian Premier League (IPL) team owners in the tournament.
Recently, four franchises from the IPL—Mumbai Indians, Lucknow SuperGiants, SunRisers Hyderabad, and Delhi Capitals—successfully acquired stakes in four teams within The Hundred. These teams include the Oval Invincibles, London Spirit, Northern Superchargers, and Southern Brave.
This move continues the IPL’s trend of expanding its influence globally; it has already established a presence in leagues such as the Caribbean Premier League (CPL), SA20, and Major League Cricket (MLC). However, reports suggest that Pakistani players have had limited opportunities to play for IPL-owned teams in recent years. In light of this, Gould assured that the participation of leading Pakistani players in The Hundred will not decrease in the coming seasons.
“We are mindful of the situation in other tournaments,” Gould said in a statement, recognizing the challenges faced by Pakistani players. “But that’s not the case here,” he emphasized.
Gould also expressed the ECB’s interest in having Indian players join the competition, acknowledging the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI)’s strict policy against allowing contracted players to participate in leagues abroad. While some players, like Dinesh Karthik and Unmukt Chand, have played in foreign leagues after leaving Indian cricket, Gould stated that the inclusion of Indian players in The Hundred is not a part of their immediate plans.
“We would love to see Indian players playing in England at some point. They participate in bilateral series and we see them quite often in county cricket,” he explained. “But we haven’t made any plans regarding their participation in this process.”
The fifth season of The Hundred is set to kick off on August 5, with the final match scheduled for August 31. The league will commence immediately after India’s five-match Test series in England concludes.
