In a surprising turn of events, none of the 45 Pakistan male cricketers or the five female cricketers who registered for The Hundred 2025 draft were picked by any of the eight franchises. While Pakistan’s women players have historically been overlooked in the tournament, this marks the first time in four years that not a single male cricketer has been selected.

Accordin gto NDTV report, this situation has led to speculation about a possible 'soft ban' on Pakistani cricketers, especially after the tournament received investments from IPL franchises before the 2025 season. Since the 2008 Mumbai attacks, Pakistani players have been absent from the Indian Premier League (IPL), and a similar trend has been observed in SA20, the South African T20 league, where no Pakistani player has participated in the last three seasons.

Currently, four franchises in The Hundred have partial or complete IPL ownership:

Oval Invincibles (Mumbai Indians)

Manchester Originals (Lucknow Super Giants)

Northern Superchargers (SunRisers Hyderabad)

Southern Brave (Delhi Capitals)

Are Pakistan players facing Soft ban?

According to Wisden, the reason behind the non-selection of Pakistani players is more likely their uncertain availability rather than any political or commercial influence. Pakistan's national team is expected to play three ODIs and three T20Is against the West Indies from late July to mid-August, directly clashing with The Hundred’s schedule. Additionally, there are reports that Pakistan might host a T20I series against Afghanistan or play against Bangladesh before the Asia Cup in September.

The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) chair Richard Gould has previously dismissed concerns of a 'soft ban', stating that Pakistan’s participation would not be affected by IPL-linked ownerships. Meanwhile, there are also issues within Pakistan Cricket itself.