Farhan has Hundred hopes despite Indian owners not signing Pakistan players

Pakistan’s Sahibzada Farhan has said he hopes to secure a contract to play in the Hundred, despite reports that the tournament’s four Indian-owned teams will not sign players from the country

Pakistan’s Sahibzada Farhan has said he remains hopeful of securing a contract to play in the Hundred this year, despite reports that the tournament’s four Indian-owned teams will not consider signing players from the country, but he admitted that selection decisions are “not in our hands”.

Farhan, who is the leading run-scorer at the T20 World Cup, is one of 63 Pakistani players on the 710-name longlist put forward for the men’s auction on 12 March. Despite the rumours, more Pakistani players have made themselves available than those from any other foreign country with all but two of the country’s 15-man World Cup squad hoping for a deal.

The eight Hundred teams have each been asked to whittle that longlist down to the 75 players in whom they are most interested, with the England and Wales Cricket Board expected to publish the resulting shortlist this week.

Farhan said he was “very hopeful” of being signed. “Because every player wants to play in every league, play in the good leagues,” the 29-year-old said. “The Hundred is one of the best leagues. So I hope for the best.”

The ECB wrote to the eight Hundred clubs on Sunday, warning them that action would be taken if there was any evidence of discrimination in their selection policies. “This is not in our hands, who picks us or who doesn’t,” Farhan said. “Whichever team is interested in picking us can, and we are ready to play in that league. It’s not like people are not interested in us.”

Because of geopolitical tensions between the countries, Pakistani players have not been considered by teams in the Indian Premier League since 2009. They have also not been signed by other domestic franchises controlled by the owners of IPL teams, including in South Africa’s SA20 and the ILT20 in the United Arab Emirates. As a result Farhan’s franchise experience is limited to the Pakistan Super League, Pakistan’s Champions T20 Cup and nine games in the Bangladesh Premier League.

The sale of stakes in the eight Hundred teams was completed last year, with Oval Invincibles, Manchester Originals, Northern Superchargers and Southern Brave all now sharing ownership with IPL sides. The first three of those have since been renamed MI London, Manchester Super Giants and Sunrisers Leeds.

No Pakistan players were picked up in the 2025 Hundred auction, partly because of scheduling conflicts, with their national team playing in West Indies and the United Arab Emirates while the tournament was in progress. Similar issues may put off potential suitors this year: during the Hundred Pakistan are due to play two Tests in the West Indies, with a three-Test series against England starting three days after the final.