The Hundred Draft 2025: Why Were All 50 Pakistani Cricketers Left Unpicked?
by Devesh Jaganath | by Devesh Jaganath
Nasim Shah, Saim Ayub Among Players Snubbed at The Hundred Draft
England’s domestic T20 tournament, The Hundred, will embark on its fifth edition in August 2025, with eight men’s and women’s teams from across major cities in the UK set to face off in what is being talked up as the most competitive staging of the competition ever.
Similar to the Indian Premier League in India, The Hundred encompasses a Draft process that brings together some of the best players from across the globe, with participating teams breaking the bank to attract the world’s top talent to feature for their franchise.
This year’s Hundred Draft was held on March 12 and kicked off with London Spirit investing £200,000 to acquire the services of England all-rounder, Jamie Overton, before Manchester Originals forked over the same amount for Afghanistan’s Noor Ahmed, who became the highest-paid overseas player in the competition.
Other overseas players who made the draft included the likes of Kiwi batter Rachin Ravindra and his compatriots Lockie Ferguson and Kane Williamson, while South African duo Heinrich Klaasen and David Miller were snapped up by the Originals and Superchargers, respectively.
However, in a controversial turn of events, all 50 Pakistani players who tossed their hats into the ring for selection went unpicked at the Draft. This included 45 men’s players, including Nasim Shah and Saim Ayub, as well as five women, Aliya Riaz, Fatima Sana, Jaweria Rauf, Iram Javed and Yusra Amir.
Wondering how to bet on cricket? Take a look at our in-depth explanation right here!
Why Did Pakistani Players Go Unpicked at the Draft?
Following The Hundred Draft, questions and speculation began flying around why not a single one of the 50 Shaheen’s players had been selected despite several featuring in last year’s tournament, such as Mohammad Amir, Haris Rauf and Usama Mir.
The main reason for the exclusion of Pakistan’s players from the tournament that many alluded to was the acquisition of stakes in four of the eight franchises by IPL-owned franchises. India and Pakistan have a long and storied history of political tensions, and since the 2008 Mumbai attacks, no Pakistani player has featured in the mega-money Indian Premier League.
Ahead of this year’s competition, the following IPL team owners bought stakes in franchises at The Hundred 2025:
- Mumbai Indians bought into the Oval Invincibles
- Delhi Capitals bought into the Southern Brave
- Lucknow Super Giants bought into Manchester Originals
- Sunrisers Hyderabad bought into Northern Superchargers
However, Richard Gould, chief executive of the England & Wales Cricket Board, was quick to pour cold water over such allegations when addressing the media, while several pundits pointed to Pakistan’s decline in performances on the global stage, most recently at the 2025 Champions Trophy and 2024 T20 World Cup, where the team failed to progress beyond the group stage, as the primary reason behind their exclusion.
Beyond ownership influence, some franchises also claimed that their decision to overlook the Green Shirts was owing in part to the Shaheen’s fixture schedule, which clashes with The Hundred. Pakistan are set to travel to the West Indies in early August for three ODIs and T20Is before returning home to face Afghanistan from the third week of the month onward.
With the IPL in full swing and The Hundred closing in, SportyTrader will be here to provide their expert cricket predictions across all tournaments, so be sure to check them out!
