NEW DELHI: After a long day of intense discussion in the Capital on Saturday, former Delhi captain Mithun Manhas has emerged as the front-runner to become the Indian cricket board’s (BCCI) president. The deadline for filing the nomination ends on Sunday afternoon, with the elections due on Sept 28 at the board’s Annual General Meeting (AGM). As per the trends post the amendment of the BCCI constitution in 2019, such nominations are usually unopposed. The BCCI has maintained that a cricketer should head the board.The last two presidents were Sourav Ganguly and Roger Binny. Manhas has worked with the J&K Cricket Association (JKCA) as an administrator over the last few years. Manhas is the first uncapped player to head the BCCI. Manhas has 157 first-class matches to his name besides representing Delhi Daredevils, Pune Warriors and Chennai Super Kings in the IPL. He was considered one of the stalwarts of India’s domestic cricket. He has previously attended BCCI’s AGM from JKCA. TOI has learnt that there was a lengthy meeting with the power forces in Indian cricket where all probable office-bearers were summoned. Former India left-arm spinner Raghuram Bhat, who currently heads the Karnataka State Cricket Association (KSCA), is likely to get a post in the apex council. It is believed that Bhat missed out on the post of president as previous president Binny also hailed from Karnataka. It will be interesting to see if incumbent vice-president Rajeev Shukla continues in his post. There are murmurs that Bhat could become the new vice-president. It is also understood that Arun Dhumal is likely to continue as IPL chairman. A final round of discussion may happen on Sunday morning.
