Mohammad Amir for Pakistan (Source:@ESPNcricinfo/X.com)
Mohammad Amir first grabbed limelight as a teenager with his stunning skills and raw pace. However, spot fixing scam hampered his progress and though he returned and found some success, differences with PCB always haunted him and he has now retired from international cricket.
He is active in franchise leagues around the world, and is likely to get eligible for IPL 2026. He is married to a British citizen and by next year, he is also set to get their citizenship. It will make him available to feature in IPL 2026 auction if all goes well, but there are few reasons why he could be ignored despite his availability. Let's try to explore those.
1. IPL Franchises Not Looking Keen To Buy Pakistan Players Feat. The Hundred
Mohammad Amir may take British Citizenship, but his identity would always be associated with Pakistan. It could hamper his chances, as recently, all Pakistan players registered for The Hundred draft were ignored. Mohammad Amir too was one of them and it was because of the influence of IPL franchises which recently bought shares in The Hundred league.
Thus, currently, IPL franchises does not seem to be in the mood to try out Pakistan players despite their quality and it could be the case again when Amir tries to get into the Indian league.
2. Fear Of Backlash Due To Presence Of Pakistan Players
Azhar Mahmood took the similar route of British citizenship in 2012 IPL and played for Punjab Kings in two seasons. He then played for KKR as well, but he was not as popular as Mohammad Amir and the mood in the country was also different at that time. A lot has happened since then on the political side of things between the two countries and recently, BCCI did not allow its team to travel to Pakistan for Champions Trophy 2025.
Thus, it is highly unlikely that BCCI and IPL teams would take the risk of including a famous Pakistan player like Mohammad Amir in the team as it could create unnecessary trouble for them. The league's brand value could also get hampered and broadcasters too would not be willing to take the risk. All these factors makes Mohammad Amir's selection in an IPL team in future a risky proposition.
3. Mohammad Amir's International Retirement Could Backfire
Mohammad Amir took his first retirement from international cricket in 2020 and since then has been playing only franchise leagues. He came back from the retirement for the T20 World Cup 2024, and did decently as well. However, he left international scene again which makes him a player devoid of quality international cricket.
It could affect his chances for IPL selection as the level of the league is at par with international cricket if not more than it. There are lot of quality international players who go unsold every year in IPL auction, and Mohammad Amir has not been in great wicket-taking form since 2024 as shown in the table below.
Mohammad Amir's Bowling Performance In T20 Cricket Since 2024
| Criterion | Data |
|---|---|
| Innings | 45 |
| Wickets | 49 |
| Economy Rate | 8.01 |
The stats do not include his performance in Global T20 Canada where he bagged nine wickets in six matches. However, with lot of younger options available for IPL franchises, things doesn't look quite positive for Amir even if they consider only his on-field performances.
 "Aashay Chopade")
