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Why Did Saim Ayub And Rest Of 44 Pakistan Players Go Unsold At The Hundred Draft?

Abhinav Tyagi

Saim Ayub and Kavya Maran- (Source:@Cricfan/X.com)Saim Ayub and Kavya Maran- (Source:@Cricfan/X.com)

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On Wednesday, March 12, the drafts for the fifth edition of The Hundred took place, where all eight teams completed their squads for the upcoming season. The likes of Jamie Overton, Noor Ahmed, and David Miller are on cloud nine as they were the first picks, but England legend James Anderson too hogged the internet after he wasn't picked by any of the eight franchises. 

Besides Anderson, Pakistani stars like Naseem Shah and Saim Ayub hogged the internet after they were not picked by any team. It is worth noting that 45 Pakistani players registered for the drafts and none of them got picked, which came as a shock to many cricket fans. Thus, this article will shed light on why no Pakistani players were picked in the draft. 

Why No Pakistani Players Were Picked In The Hundred Draft?

One thing that is clear after the draft is that the reason behind none of the Pakistani players being picked cannot be their form. While, it is true that most of the first-team members are struggling for the Men in Green, but they are top guns when it comes to franchise cricket. Further, the likes of Saim Ayub, who is one of the best T20I batters of current era, has recovered from his injury that ruled him out of Champions Trophy and for him to go unsold raises eyebrows.

One reason that seems to make logic is recent private investments allowed in The Hundred. For the first time, private players have entered England's premier domestic league and most of these investments have been made by IPL franchise owners. 

Which IPL Franchises Have Made An Investment in The Hundred?

All the eight teams have gotten private investment and four of them have been made by IPL owners such as MI, SRH, LSG, and DC. 

Mumbai Indians bought  49% stake in Oval Invincibles, while RPSG Group, Sanjiv Goenka's conglomerate that runs Lucknow Super Giants, are buying a 70% stake in Manchester Originals. 

Meanwhile, Kavya Maran-backed Sunrisers Hyderabad, are buying 100% of Northern Superchargers while, GMR Group, which co-owns Delhi Capitals, are buying a 49% stake in Southern Brave. 

It is worth noting that the IPL has imposed a ban on Pakistani players since 2009 because of the growing terror attacks in the neighbouring country. Thus, the owners too avoid buying Pakistani stars for their franchise teams. 

Another reason is the availability of the players around July- August as Pakistan have several bilateral series lined up during that time.