IPL-Backed Franchises SNUB Pakistani Players in Hundred Women 2026 Auction Despite ECB's Push

The Hundred: In what can be called as a huge insult to Pakistan, their players were ignored at the first-ever the Hundred Women 2026 Auction. The historic auction took place in London on Wednesday where four Pakistani women cricketers had registered for the draft, but only Sadia Iqbal and Fatima Sana were picked for the main auction. And at the main auction, they were not brought onboard by any of the franchises. 

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Both Sadia and Fatima had a base price of 15,000 pounds each, went unsold as no team made a bid for them. It was surprising to see Sadia go unsold as she is currently the No. 1 T20 bowler in the world. On the other hand, Fatima is the world’s sixth-best T20I all-rounder. 

They went unsold despite ECB’s assurance that nationality would not influence team selections. 

IPL-Backed Hundred Franchises

Manchester Super Giants (formerly Manchester Originals), MI London (formerly Oval Invincibles), Southern Brave and SunRisers Leeds (formerly Northern Superchargers) are the four The Hundred teams with backing from IPL sides.

For the unversed, no Pakistani player has ever played in the women’s Hundred. It has been a trend long before IPL franchises arrived in the league.

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Indians Shine at Auction

While no Pakistani women cricketer were picked up, the Indian eves had a good day as Richa Ghosh and Deepti Verma were picked up for whopping amounts. Smriti Mandhana and Jemimah Rodrigues were pre-signed before the auction. 

The Men's The Hundred auction will take place on March 13 and it would be interesting to see what happens to the Pakistani players.