Full breakdown of The Hundred 2026 auction shortlist, Pakistani players, marquee picks, and tier categories.
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The Hundred 2026
So here’s the thing—I’ve been following The Hundred auctions since it started, and honestly? This year’s shortlist has some wild twists that nobody saw coming. Let’s break it down.
The Numbers Game (And Where Pakistan Went)
The ECB released a longlist of 710 players. That’s a lot of talent. Franchises got to pick between 75 and 100 names each, and they whittled it down to 247 final contenders. But here’s what caught my eye: Pakistan had 63 cricketers in the extended list initially. Only 14 made the cut.
That’s rough. Really rough.
The survivors? Haris Rauf, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Shadab Khan, Usman Tariq, Saim Ayub, Abrar Ahmed, Mohammad Nawaz, Naseem Shah, Mohammad Amir, Zaman Khan, Usama Mir, Imad Wasim, and Akif Javed. Salman Mirza also got selected.
Rauf’s Big Moment
Here’s where it gets interesting. Haris Rauf—who completely missed out on the T20 World Cup 2026 selection—is now one of the 10 headline players leading the March 12 auction. He’s got that marquee status, which means franchises are going to bid big.
He played for Welsh Fire back in 2023-2024. Twelve games, 16 wickets. Not bad, not spectacular either. But clearly someone thinks there’s more in the tank.
The first 30 players going under the hammer in London include Rauf, Shaheen, Shadab, and Tariq. That’s quite the lineup.
The Farhan Mystery
Now this one genuinely confused me. Sahibzada Farhan was the top scorer at the T20 World Cup 2026—383 runs from six innings. He became the first player ever to hit two centuries in a single tournament. Two! That’s the kind of stuff that gets you massive contracts.
And yet… no franchise picked him. Nobody wanted him.
How does that even happen? It’s wild. Salman Ali Agha and Faheem Ashraf also got overlooked, which makes you wonder what these franchises are actually looking for.
The IPL Factor
Here’s the elephant in the room: teams with IPL connections might steer clear of Pakistani players. Is it politics? Is it a budget? Nobody’s saying anything definitive. We’ll have to wait and see if that prediction holds up.
Your Quick Reference Guide
Marquee Domestic: Jonny Bairstow, Adil Rashid, James Vince, Jordan Cox, Joe Root
Marquee International: Aiden Markram, David Miller, Sunil Narine, Haris Rauf, Daryl Mitchell
Tier 1 Batters: Finn Allen, Quinton De Kock, Ryan Rickelton, Tim Seifert, Zak Crawley
Tier 1 Fast Bowlers: Shaheen Shah Afridi, Josh Tongue, Luke Wood, Sonny Baker, Saqib Mahmood
Tier 1 Allrounders: Tom Curran, Shadab Khan, Azmatullah Omarzai, David Willey, Gus Atkinson
Tier 1 Spin Bowlers: Akeal Hosein, AM Ghazanfar, Rishad Hossain, Usman Tariq, Jafer Chohan
So what does this mean? The auction is going to be unpredictable. Some players with incredible records are going unsold, while others with less impressive stats are getting big bids. Maybe it’s not just about the numbers—maybe it’s about fit, about what teams think they need in that moment.
Quiz Time!
1. How many players made it to the final shortlist from the original 710 longlist?
- A) 247
- B) 300
- C) 150
- D) 400
2. Which Pakistani player was the top scorer at T20 World Cup 2026 but went unsold?
- A) Haris Rauf
- B) Shaheen Shah Afridi
- C) Sahibzada Farhan
- D) Shadab Khan
3. How many Pakistani players were originally on the extended list before being reduced to 14?
- A) 45
- B) 63
- C) 80
- D) 50