The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) has sent letters to the directors of cricket at all 8 franchises in the Hundred warning them not to discriminate against Pakistan players in the 2026 auction.

The letter comes after the BBC revealed that it had seen messages from a senior official at ECB indicating to an agent that interest in his Pakistan players would be limited to sides not linked to the Indian Premier League (IPL). Half of the eight teams in the Hundred — Manchester Super Giants, MI London, Southern Brave and Sunrisers Leeds — are all part or fully owned by companies that control IPL teams.

Players from Pakistan have not featured in IPL since 2009 following the 2008 Mumbai terror attacks. All six teams in South Africa’s SA20 are owned by IPL franchise groups, including the four who’ve invested in Hundred.

In four seasons, there has not been a single Pakistani player in the competition. Indian-owned franchises in the International League T20 and Major League Cricket have all consistently not signed Pakistani players.

The ECB sold its 49% stakes in each of the eight Hundred franchises last year. Sixty-seven players from Pakistan – 63 men and four women – have registered for the Hundred auction, which will take place on March 11 and 12. Pakistan’s Saim Ayub, Shadab Khan, Muhammad Nawaz and Naseem Shah have all registered at the highest men’s reserve price of £100,000.

In an email to franchises, the ECB warned that teams will face disciplinary action if there is evidence of discrimination in their recruitment for this season. However, a Pakistani agent told Telegraph Sport “it’s a given” that Pakistan players will be excluded from the teams with Indian ownership.