Who’ll be the next The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) Secretary? Even officials haven’t got a clue. Now that Jay Shah has left the position and ascended to become the International Cricket Council (ICC) Chairman, the top spot in the world’s most powerful cricket body remains empty.
Candidates for BCCI Secretary position
Earlier in the year (September 29), the topic was discussed at the Annual General Meeting (AGM), but nothing has come of it, at least until now. GAC (Gujarat Cricket Association) secretary Anil Patel, current BCCI joint-secretary Devjit Saikia from Assam, DDCA (Delhi and District Cricket Association) President Rohan Jaitely, and CAB (Cricket Association of Bengal) President Avishek Dalmiya were some of the names that were propped up as potential replacements for Jay Shah as BCCI Secretary.
The names of other top officials, like BCCI vice president Rajeev Shukla, treasurer Ashish Shelar, and IPL chairman Arun Dhumal, were also mentioned, but it seems unlikely that any of them will assume the position. At one point Jaitley was thought of as the front-runner, but it’s now believed that Saikia could take over until September 2025.
“We don’t know what is happening. Everyone (BCCI officials and state units) is quiet on the matter. Most likely, joint-secretary (Saikia) will be interim for the time being,” a BCCI administrator told PTI.
Latest on Indian Cricket
BCCI keeping everyone in the dark
The transition window according to BCCI rules is 45 days. That means January 15 is when a new secretary should be announced. But it’s believed that the transition should have happened by now, especially considering Jay Shah was named as the ICC Chairman in August. With the position vacant, some processes have been delayed as the BCCI Secretary has a lot of responsibilities that aren’t being taken care of right now.
“There are issues that need to be dealt with on a day-to-day basis, and anyone who comes in needs to have a bit of knowledge on how the BCCI is run. The transition should have been complete by now. The secretary has to sign the majority of documents. This matter should have been taken up at the AGM (in September), but nobody questioned it at that time,” a BCCI administrator told PTI.
“There is a power vacuum right now at the BCCI, the most powerful cricketing body in the world,” added another office-bearer of a state unit.
