New Delhi: On Wednesday a month after the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) sold shares in The Hundred its 100-ball cricket league to private companies including IPL franchises none of the 45 registered male players from Pakistan were selected in the draft. This occurrence marks the first instance in the five editions of the tournament. Could it be associated with the involvement of IPL team owners? Pakistani players participated in the first edition of the IPL which launched in April 2008. However following the Mumbai terror attacks later that year the BCCI imposed a ban on their involvement. Allrounder Azhar Mahmood participated in the 2012 edition of the IPL due to his English passport; however since that time no player from Pakistan has taken part in the tournament. IPL owners have expanded their presence in T20 leagues globally and this trend has persisted. In the SA20 a T20 franchise tournament held in South Africa where all six teams are owned by IPL franchises there are no Pakistani players participating. In the ILT20 (UAE) and MLC (USA) only four Pakistani players are part of the franchises that are owned by IPL teams. In the Caribbean Premier League only four players from Pakistan have participated in teams managed by Indian Premier League owners. In The Hundred the county clubs continue to hold a portion of the stakes. Notably it is the players from Pakistan who have brought excitement to the tournament which has struggled to draw significant attention. It is noted that prior to the draft there were no unofficial conversations among the teams about the involvement of Pakistani players. Many county teams sign players from Pakistan for the English season and imposing a ban for The Hundred would not be favorable for these teams. ECB CEO Richard Gould stated that the connection to the IPL will not prevent Pakistani players from participating in The Hundred. He acknowledged the playing restrictions faced by Pakistani players in other areas but clarified that this situation would not apply in this case. What is the reason behind the absence of Pakistani players? 1. Underwhelming performance Pakistans performance in the last three ICC tournaments has been disappointing with no player emerging as a standout performer. As T20 leagues have proliferated worldwide Pakistani players alongside those from the Caribbean were once highly sought after. However the challenges faced by Pakistan in white-ball cricket are now also evident in the franchise leagues. Fast bowlers Shaheen Shah Afridi Haris Rauf and Naseem Shah have participated in various T20 leagues recently but their performance has not been impressive. Additionally there are currently no Pakistani batsmen attracting interest from any franchises. 2. Awkward Scheduling Franchises have noted that Pakistani players have international obligations in August which coincide with The Hundred tournament. During that month Pakistan is scheduled to compete against West Indies and Afghanistan in white-ball series followed by the Asia Cup (T20) in September. Additionally as the team is currently undergoing a rebuilding process in preparation for next year’s T20 World Cup it is anticipated that all key players will be included in the national squad. Role of PCB in this situation The initial consideration is availability. Recently franchises have experienced instances of Pakistani players withdrawing at the last moment due to the Pakistan Cricket Boards (PCB) refusal to grant their no-objection certificates (NOCs). The boards of Australia New Zealand England and South Africa have generally been accommodating in issuing No Objection Certificates (NOCs) to prevent players from leaving whereas the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has occasionally adopted a stricter stance. This is notable given that the central contract includes a provision permitting players to participate in two franchise leagues in addition to the Pakistan Super League (PSL). Last year the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) withdrew the No Objection Certificate (NOC) that had been granted to Naseem Shah to participate in The Hundred shortly before the event. As a result the PCB also chose not to issue NOCs for Shaheen Shah Afridi Babar Azam and Muhammad Rizwan to take part in the Global T20 Canada. The PCB has consistently mentioned workload management as the primary reason for their decisions. Additionally leg-spinner Usma Mir despite not being involved with the national team and having no domestic cricket obligations was also prevented from participating in the T20 Blast in England and Wales as it would have resulted in him playing in more than two T20 tournaments. In 2023 the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) postponed granting the No Objection Certificate (NOC) to Haris Rauf for his participation in the Big Bash League (BBL) in Australia. The athletes have expressed their discontent by postponing the signing of central contracts. In 2019 some of them indicated the possibility of striking. One reason often cited for Pakistans underwhelming results in ICC tournaments is the limited exposure to contemporary cricket offered by the franchise circuit. Recently fast bowler Mohammad Amir and allrounder Imad Wasim retired from international cricket to focus on T20 leagues and it is possible that more players may make similar decisions in the future.