New Delhi: Former England cricketer Moeen Ali has warned there could be a protest led by a group of English players if Indian-owned franchises in The Hundred boycott Pakistani players at the upcoming auction. The Hundred 2026 auction is set to take place in London on March 11 and 12.
Moeen’s comments come after reports in the British media claimed that four franchises in The Hundred owned by Indian companies, with an IPL connection, will not pick any Pakistani player in the auction. Mooen has urged the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) to protect the rights of Pakistani players while warning of action against discrimination.
“In the UK, I’m not sure that can happen – and I hope it doesn’t happen. It just shouldn’t happen, hopefully it won’t happen. We just have to wait and see if it does, but I think it’d be a massive shame, and I’m sure the ECB will definitely keep an eye out,” Moeen was quoted as saying by The Telegraph on reports of Indian-owned franchises boycotting Pakistani players in The Hundred.
The Hundred, a 100-ball tournament organised by the ECB, has four teams owned by Indian companies. Manchester Super Giants (RPSG Group), MI London (Reliance), Southern Brave (GMR Group) and Sunrisers Leeds (Sun Group) all have Indian co-owners, who also own teams in the IPL, where Pakistani players are banned.
The London Spirit and Welsh Fire teams also have investors who are of Indian origin. Recently, a report in the BBC claimed that Pakistani cricketers will not be considered by Indian-owned sides in the Hundred auction next month, sparking mixed reactions from the cricketing fraternity.
Moeen believes several England players will be on the same page and will speak up if the Indian-owned franchises deliberately ignore Pakistani players at the upcoming auction.
“There’ll be a group of players that will speak up. There’ll be things done about it. I think players should speak up. Anyone that has any sort of concern for these kind of things – it doesn’t matter if they have Pakistani heritage – should speak up. Obviously, the news is very new. So I’ve not really had a chance to speak to anyone, but most of the players would be on the same page. It’d be really interesting to see what happens, because I genuinely think other countries can do what they want, obviously we’re not in control of those things, but in the UK, we have a bit more say about these things,” Moeen added.
Moeen’s comments come after former England captain Michael Vaughan and England’s T20I skipper Harry Brook recently voiced their concerns regarding the same. Vaughan urged the ECB to step in, while Brook said it would be a shame if Pakistani players are not picked by Indian-owned franchises in The Hundred 2026.
How many Pakistani players have registered for The Hundred 2026 auction?
A total of 67 Pakistani players, 63 male and 4 female, have registered for the upcoming The Hundred auction in London. Pakistan’s current men’s T20I captain, Salman Ali Agha, Saim Ayub, Shaheen Afridi and spinner Usman Tariq are among the 63 male Pakistani players to have registered for the auction.
The number of Pakistani players that get picked in the auction will also depend on international commitments. Pakistan are scheduled to play a Test series against West Indies in August, which will coincide with The Hundred. It remains to be seen how many Pakistani players will be picked in the auction next month.
For the record, only three Pakistani players featured in The Hundred last season. Veteran pacer Mohammad Amir and Mohammad Wasim played for the Northern Superchargers in the tournament. Zafar Gohar played for the Oval Invincibles.