Former Pakistan players Mohammad Amir and Imad Wasim will turn out for Kavya Maran-owned team Northern Superchargers in the upcoming season of The Hundred. This news has put a fitting end to the rumors regarding the Pakistani players' participation in the competition for the 2025 season. For some time, there were speculations that the Pakistani players might be snubbed from The Hundred, because four of the eight owners are owned by Indian companies.
Two other companies are backed by Indian-American investors. These rumors were especially gaining steam due to recent political tensions between India and Pakistan in the wake of the Pahalgam terror attack & Indian Army's Operation Sindoor response. Also, in the SA20 League, no Pakistani players have played for three seasons due to all six franchise owners being Indian.
However, the recent signings of Amir and Imad have lifted those concerns. The Superchargers are being owned by Sun Group, the same company that also owns Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) and Sunrisers Eastern Cape (SRC) in the SA20 League. Hence, when Maran signed the two Pakistani players for The Hundred this season, it clearly proves that ownership does not necessarily influence player selection.
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Mohammad Amir & Imad join as replacement players for Northern Supercharges
The two Pakistani players are signed as replacement players, Amir for Aussie pacer Ben Dwarshuis, and Imad Wasim for Mitchell Santner, who is away for national commitments. Imad will only feature in two games (on August 07 and 10). Earlier this year, ECB chief Richard Gould had clarified that the player selection would not be affected if the Indian owners own the team. However, when no Pakistani players were picked in the player draft in March, eyebrows were raised, and many questioned if there was any such rule.
While some thought that since a lot of Pakistani players are away for national duties (West Indies Tour), some thought it is due to owners. Notably, the Sun Group is also the only company that has bought 100% of Superchargers with a whopping investment of INR 1,094 Crore.
