Pakistan’s leading white-ball names have entered the player pool for The Hundred 2026, with captain Salman Ali Agha and left-arm quick Shaheen Shah Afridi among those registered for next month’s auction in London. Saim Ayub and Usman Tariq also feature in the list, as Pakistan’s contingent looks to re-establish a foothold in major overseas franchise leagues amid shifting ownership dynamics in English cricket.
The auction pool is set to be extensive, featuring 711 players in total, including 63 from Pakistan. The two-day auction is scheduled for March 11–12 in London, with teams set to finalise squads in a system that combines retentions and pre-auction signings with open bidding.
Pakistan’s list: big names, big base bands
Pakistan’s registrations span established internationals and a deeper domestic group, with several players entering at premium reserve-price levels. Among those listed at the top bracket of £100,000 are Shadab Khan, Haris Rauf, Mohammad Nawaz and Naseem Shah. A second tier includes multiple recognisable names at £75,000, including Salman Agha, while several others have registered at £50,000 and below.
It is a significant volume play: Pakistan have not just put forward a few marquee options, but a broad cross-section of players across roles giving franchises enough choices to build both headline and value picks, if the market holds.
The ownership question hovering over the auction
The uncertainty is not about eligibility. It is about intent.
There is growing expectation that franchises with Indian investment links may be reluctant to bid for Pakistan players. The framing around this is not an official rule, but an unwritten market reality shaped by ownership structures, commercial sensitivities and past patterns across franchise ecosystems. With multiple Hundred teams now operating with Indian connections, the consequence is simple: even a large Pakistani presence in the auction pool does not guarantee proportionate representation in final squads.
Squad rules and salary pots: what teams are working with
The Hundred’s 2026 squad build follows a clear structure: men’s squads are set at 16–18 players, while women’s squads are 15. The men’s team salary cap is £2.05 million per franchise, and the women’s salary cap rises to £880,000 — a major increase aimed at strengthening the competition’s depth and retention power.
No formal ban — but the auction table will decide
There is no official prohibition on Pakistan players participating. The tournament’s stated posture remains global and inclusive. But auctions aren’t decided by policy statements; they’re decided by owner comfort, recruitment strategies and public-facing risk appetite.
For Pakistan’s registered players, the next step is straightforward: turn presence into picks. Whether that happens at scale is the question The Hundred 2026 auction is about to answer.
