No Pakistani Player in the first Women's Premier League Auction

At the first Women’s Premier League auction on Monday, players from seven different nations were given contracts, which might be a turning point for women’s cricket.

However, one nation that was not a contender will miss out on this occasion: Pakistan’s cricketers were never in with a chance to enter the league, as they were completely absent from the auction list.

There was an acknowledgment of Pakistan’s cricketers’ lack of access to similar opportunities as players like Ashleigh Gardner, Beth Mooney, and Nat Sciver-Brunt reflected and celebrated on a day that changed their lives.

Urooj Mumtaz, a commentator, and former Pakistan captain told ESPNcricinfo that it was “very upsetting to see Pakistan players missing out.” “Every chance must be equitable and open to everyone, and every chance is a step in the right direction toward improving the level of women’s play and expanding the sport on a worldwide scale. The biggest benefit is that they close the quality gap between different cricketing countries.”

The men’s edition of the PSL, which started on Monday, was the PSL that Pakistan’s players were scheduled to participate in. Before a change in leadership in December, when Najam Sethi replaced Ramiz Raja as the board’s head, the first women’s T20 competition was supposed to take place this season. Currently, the earliest date for that league is September.

The response to Pakistan’s absence has been relatively muted outside of Pakistan, with broadcaster Alison Mitchell being the most vocal critic, highlighting the lack of “an equal opportunity” and raising concerns about the widening financial gap it would create between Pakistan’s female cricketers and the rest. Mitchell wrote on Twitter that “equality is only equality when all players have an equal chance to participate in an auction.”

“Feel how big the disparity between Pakistani players and the rest will widen as a result of these numbers. According to the IPL, there were no players from Pakistan in the WPL Auction.” Mumtaz claimed that she “100% echoed” the opinion, as did Sana Mir, a different former Pakistan captain.

After losing to India in the opening match of the current Women’s T20 World Cup, their replacement and current Bismah Maroof were also questioned about the WPL auction. Before Jemimah Rodrigues and Richa Ghosh led India to victory in the 15th over of their chase, Pakistan put up a valiant fight and remained in the game. The fact that the Indian duo was the fifth and eighth most expensive purchase at the auction simply serves to highlight the difference. Pakistani athletes, according to Maroof, would “love to participate” in any league that offered them the opportunity.

The lack of options for Pakistan to participate in league competition is regrettable, she remarked. “There is no doubt that we would cherish the opportunity to take part in the leagues and would seize the opportunity to do so. Although we do not influence it, it is what it is.” Similar to how their male counterparts are completely absent from the IPL, Pakistan is also completely absent from the WPL.

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No player representing Pakistan has participated in the IPL, except for the first season in 2008, which occurred during a fleeting political détente between India and Pakistan. Azhar Mahmood participated in the league in 2012, 2013, and 2015, but by that time he had a British passport and had enrolled as a citizen of that country.