Richard Gould, the Chief Executive of the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB), assured that the involvement of Pakistani players in the upcoming seasons of The Hundred will remain unaffected, despite the acquisition of stakes in the tournament by owners of Indian Premier League (IPL) franchises.
Four IPL teams Mumbai Indians, Lucknow Super Giants, Sunrisers Hyderabad, and Delhi Capitals successfully secured ownership of four Hundred franchises: Oval Invincibles, London Spirit, Northern Superchargers, and Southern Brave, respectively. This move is part of the IPL’s broader strategy to expand its influence internationally, with IPL teams also holding stakes in leagues like the Caribbean Premier League (CPL), SA20, and Major League Cricket (MLC).Despite these acquisitions, Gould emphasized that Pakistani players would continue to feature prominently in The Hundred in the coming seasons, noting that their participation would not be reduced in any way.
Regarding the limited participation of Pakistani players in IPL-affiliated leagues, Gould commented, “We’re aware of the situation in other regions, but that won’t be the case here.”
The ECB chief also acknowledged that while the league would welcome the inclusion of Indian players, they respect the Board of Control for Cricket in India’s (BCCI) firm policy of not allowing contracted players to compete in foreign tournaments. However, players such as Dinesh Karthik and Unmukt Chand have represented franchises in other leagues after stepping away from Indian cricket.
“We haven’t taken the availability of Indian players into account in our planning process. The BCCI has been very clear on their stance. Ideally, we would love to see Indian players participating in England, and while we currently see them in bilateral series and even quite a few in county cricket, it’s not something we’ve predetermined for this situation,” Gould explained.
The fifth season of The Hundred is set to begin on August 5, with the final scheduled for August 31, directly following the conclusion of India’s five-match Test series in England.