LONDON: Pakistan fast bowler Haris Rauf has been named among the 10 marquee players who will be called out first at next week’s inaugural men’s Hundred auction, with a total of 14 Pakistani cricketers featuring in the trimmed longlist circulated to teams.
The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) and the eight franchises recently committed to selection being based on ‘performance, availability, and the needs of each team,’ following reports of a potential ‘shadow ban’ on Pakistani players by franchises with Indian Premier League (IPL) ownership connections.
Haris Rauf is among the 10 marquee players whose names will be called out first at next week’s inaugural men’s Hundred auction, with 14 Pakistan players among the 243 names who will go under the hammer on March 12 pic.twitter.com/vjSjlsLEO4
— ESPNcricinfo (@ESPNcricinfo) March 2, 2026
Pakistan contingent in marquee and main lists
Rauf, who was notably left out of Pakistan’s T20 World Cup squad, headlines the Pakistani contingent as one of five overseas marquee players alongside Aiden Markram, David Miller, Sunil Narine, and Daryl Mitchell.
The domestic marquee list features Jonny Bairstow, Adil Rashid, James Vince, Jordan Cox, and Joe Root.
The complete Pakistan contingent on the 243-player longlist includes Shaheen Shah Afridi, Shadab Khan, Usman Tariq, Saim Ayub, Abrar Ahmed, Mohammad Nawaz, Naseem Shah, Mohammad Amir, Zaman Khan, Usama Mir, Imad Wasim, Akif Javed, and Salman Mirza.
Rauf brings significant Hundred experience, having claimed 16 wickets across two seasons with Welsh Fire. He was also the leading wicket-taker at the recent Big Bash League, playing under new Trent Rockets coach Peter Moores at Melbourne Stars.
Availability and IPL-owned franchises under spotlight
The tournament, scheduled from July 21 to August 16, marks the first year of private investment following the lucrative sale of team shares.
Three franchises have been renamed due to IPL connections: MI London (formerly Oval Invincibles), Sunrisers Leeds (Northern Superchargers), and Manchester Super Giants (Manchester Originals).
These three teams, along with Southern Brave, will face scrutiny over whether they bid for Pakistani players following widespread condemnation of a potential “shadow ban.”
Former England Test captains Michael Atherton and Michael Vaughan have publicly criticised any such move.
Pakistan’s white-ball specialists are expected to be fully available for the Hundred, subject to No-Objection Certificates from the PCB.
The latter stages of the tournament overlap with the Caribbean Premier League, while Pakistan are scheduled for a Test series against West Indies during the same window.
Notable omissions and women’s contingent
Sahibzada Farhan, currently the leading run-scorer at the ongoing T20 World Cup with centuries against Namibia and Sri Lanka, is a surprising omission from the trimmed longlist.
Despite his recent form, the 29-year-old has only featured once in an overseas franchise league.
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On the women’s side, Pakistan allrounder Fatima Sana and left-arm spinner Sadia Iqbal feature on the longlist. No Pakistani players have appeared across the first five seasons of the women’s Hundred.
England Test captain Ben Stokes did not register for the auction, opting to focus on preparation for England’s Test series against Pakistan, which begins three days after the Hundred final.
Moeen Ali, who reversed his retirement from English domestic cricket to join Yorkshire in the Blast, was also absent from the longlist.
Auction details
The auctions will be held in Piccadilly, London, with the women’s auction on March 11 followed by the men’s auction on March 12.
The women’s marquee list includes Dani Gibson, Sarah Glenn, Amy Jones, Tammy Beaumont, Davina Perrin, Nadine de Klerk, Sophie Devine, Beth Mooney, Sophie Molineux, and Deepti Sharma.
