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Coaches of Hundred teams with investment from the Indian Premier League say they have not been directed away from signing Pakistan players.

BBC Sport reported in February that the four Hundred franchises linked to the IPL would not sign Pakistan players, mirroring a ban in place in India.

All eight Hundred franchises and the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) subsequently released a joint statement saying “players must not be excluded on the grounds of nationality”.

As expected, the two Pakistan players involved in Wednesday’s auction for the women’s Hundred were not bought by any of the eight teams.

On Thursday, 17 Pakistani men are involved in the men’s auction, including fast bowlers Haris Rauf and Shaheen Afridi, and spinner Usman Tariq.

Hundred side Sunrisers Leeds are part of the Sunrisers’ global network, with teams in India and South Africa.

Sunrisers Eastern Cape are one of six teams in the SA20 – all have links to IPL ownership and none have ever fielded a Pakistan player.

Adi Birrell, head coach of Sunrisers Leeds women and Sunrisers Eastern Cape men, said he had never been told not to sign a Pakistan player.

“No, I haven’t,” he told BBC Sport. “I’m sure there will be some interest in some players tomorrow.”

Asked if he believed there will be interest in Pakistan players from teams with IPL links, he said: “I think so, but I don’t know. I presume so. I haven’t heard that they won’t bid for them.”

Sunrisers Leeds are one of two Hundred teams owned outright by an IPL franchise, along with Southern Brave, who were bought by the part-owners of Delhi Capitals.

Brave women’s head coach Jonathan Batty said: “The only thing I’ve been told is ‘sign the best players to make this the best squad you possibly can’.

Any decision by a team to refrain from signing players from Pakistan could also have a sporting explanation.

Pakistan have a Test series against West Indies at the same time as this year’s Hundred, potentially affecting player availability.

Recently, there has been a history of some Pakistan players being pulled from franchise commitments at short notice, while the unpredictability of an auction can also affect the way teams bid for players.

Mo Bobat, director of cricket for London Spirit, said: “There are hundreds of overseas players that have registered for the auction and there are only 16 overseas slots, so there are going to be a lot of disappointed overseas players.”

Spirit are not owned by an IPL franchise, but do have soft links with Bobat’s Royal Challengers Bangalore.

“It’s difficult to predict what will happen,” Bobat added. “The nature of an auction is there’s loads of uncertainty, there’s loads of jeopardy – there are no guarantees. We’re considering all players from everywhere because we want to be as strong as possible”.

The auctions, a first for both The Hundred and major British sport, are a result of the sales of stakes in the eight teams, which raised about £500m for cricket in England and Wales.

Lennon Miller believes he has “definitely got better” as a player since joining Udinese and is eager to be part of Scotland’s World Cup campaign.

The midfielder, 19, has won four caps since his senior international debut last year and left Motherwell for Italy in August.

Scotland will face Haiti, Morocco and Brazil in the United States in June and Steve Clarke will soon name his squad for two March friendlies.

“You want to be in every squad,” Miller told BBC Scotland.

“[The World Cup is] a dream and one that we maybe didn’t think that we’d get the chance to do. It’d be a very special moment and one that hopefully I can be a part of.

Miller has learned “loads” since joining the Serie A club and his Italian is “getting better everyday” with regular lessons.

“The physical side of the game, I had to improve on but also my understanding of the game, different game plans, different formations,” explained Miller, whose father Lee played for Scotland.

“You’re training with players of real quality everyday and you’re playing against some of the best players in the world.

“Living myself, I’ve really enjoyed. I’ve really grown as a person. It was the first time I’d been out the family home. My family are over all the time, which is nice.”

Scotland play Japan and Ivory Coast later this month when Miller as well as Torino’s Che Adams, Hellas Verona’s Kieran Bowie, Sassuolo’s Josh Doig, Bologna’s Lewis Ferguson and Napoli pair Billy Gilmour and Scott McTominay, are likely to come into Clarke’s consideration.

And Miller said of his fellow Italy-based Scots: “Every time we play against one another, we speak after the game and swap shirts.

Tottenham Hotspur owner Enic does not plan to take the decision on Igor Tudor’s future out of the hands of the club’s executive team despite the manager’s poor start.

Tudor finds himself under major pressure having lost all four of his games in charge, conceding 14 goals in the process.

Chief executive Vinai Venkatesham and sporting director Johan Lange were both at the forefront of the decision to appoint the 47-year-old following the sacking of Thomas Frank last month.

Tottenham, who face Liverpool on Sunday, can fall into the Premier League relegation zone at the weekend and face an uphill battle to qualify for the Champions League quarter-finals following the 5-2 defeat by Atletico Madrid on Tuesday.

Relegation would represent a disastrous scenario for Spurs, and Tudor has failed to halt the team’s slide towards the bottom three.

In addition to concerns over results, sources are indicating that there is a growing disconnect between members of the squad and Tudor, with a number of players left unconvinced that the coach can lead the team to safety.

Sources have indicated to BBC Sport that the club’s owners are not, and have never been, involved in the day to day running of the club, even during Daniel Levy’s era, allowing those on the ground to make decisions, and will leave any call about Tudor to the Spurs executives.

It is understood that the decision to sack Frank in February was taken by Venkatesham and Lange before being ratified by the ownership.

Of course, it remains to be seen whether Enic decides to take matters into its own hands if Tottenham’s relegation fears worsen in the coming weeks.

The make-up of Tottenham’s internal structures have changed dramatically in recent months.

Venkatesham’s arrival in the summer of 2025 was followed by Levy’s shock departure as executive chairman after 25 years at the club in September.

Since Levy’s exit, the Lewis family – who effectively own Tottenham – have been far more visible than in previous years while also ratifying the appointments of Fabio Paratici – who has since left for Fiorentina – as co-sporting director and Rafi Moersen from Manchester City as director of football operations.

Family figurehead Joe Lewis is understood to have taken more of a peripheral role in recent months with younger generations of the family including Lewis’ children Vivienne and Charlie becoming more prominent.

Nick Beucher – the grandson-in-law of Joe Lewis – has also taken a greater involvement.

Following Levy’s exit, Peter Charrington, the club’s non-executive chairman, said: “This is a new era of leadership for the club, on and off the pitch.

“I do recognise there has been a lot of change in recent months as we put in place new foundations for the future.