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Fatima Sana's video - (Source: X.com)
On Wednesday, March 11, 178 women cricketers went under the hammer for the inaugural The Hundred auction. Sophie Devine and Beth Mooney were the top picks as Welsh Fire and Trent Rockets splurged £210,000 each for the two stars. Meanwhile, Pakistani cricketers found no interest and were unsold in the mega-event.
A total of four Pakistani talents registered for the auction, but only Fatima Sana and Sadia Iqbal made it to the final list. The two players going unsold have come at a time when reports have suggested that the IPL-backed Hundred teams will boycott Pakistani players going under the hammer.
IPL-Backed Team Refuse Boycott Claims
IPL is now having a growing influence across the world, and the teams have respected national sentiments by not signing any deal with Pakistani cricketers. Therefore, the world cricket body was quick to react to the boycott claims and pressured the ECB to take action against the IPL-backed teams.
The apex cricket board of England assured the protesters that all teams have been informed not to target anyone and pick or refuse a player based on merit. The explanation was also stamped by all the Hundred franchises.
Therefore, Fatima Sana and Sadia Iqbal have gone unsold on merit as teams that aren’t backed by the four IPL teams.
Fatima Sana’s Old Video Resurfaces After Going Unsold
Soon after Fatima went unsold, a section of fans slammed IPL’s growing influence and criticised the teams for intentionally not picking Fatima. Meanwhile, the Indian fans were quick to shut the noise down and circulated Fatima’s old video where she mocked India.
In the video, which is now again doing rounds on the internet, Fatima mocked India by making a ‘Rafale Down’ gesture at the boundary rope.
Sana joined Haris Rauf as well as her teammates in mocking India when the Asia Cup coincided with their series against South Africa Women. While fielding near the boundary ropes, Fatima Sana recreated Rauf's viral gesture of downing jets, which received loud cheers from several members of the Pakistani dugout.
Also Read: Pakistan Player Brutally Drags Journalist To Court Over Harassment In T20 World Cup
The incident followed after Haris Rauf made the gesture during the India vs Pakistan Asia Cup 2025 match. Therefore, the fans are speculating that Sana wouldn’t have been picked anyway because of her past antics.
Pakistan Men's Cricketer Fear Same Treatement
Notably, a total of 14 Pakistani cricketers will go under the hammer on March 12 and they too fear the same treatement as the female cricketers. Meanwhile, Shaheen Afridi withdrew from the auction few hours before the marquee event.
In the latest events, at the time of writing this article, Haris Rauf has gone unsold in the auction and the rest 12 Pakistani cricketers fear going unsold as well.
Also Read: The Hundred Women 2026 Auction: Full List Of Sold, Unsold, Retained Players, Top Buys
