Mumbai: With the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) Annual General Meeting (AGM) due shortly, the board has got into a huddle to identify a new set of office bearers. The post for president has been left vacant for a couple of months now after Roger Binny turned 70. Incumbent vice-president Rajeev Shukla has been filling in for Binny since. It is learnt that the forces in the BCCI are discussing if Shukla can be formally elevated to the post of president. TOI has learnt that Shukla is a serious contender for the post given his vast experience as a cricket administrator.“Rajeev Shukla stands a very good chance to be elected as the BCCI president in the election due to happen later this month,” a source told TOI.Shukla had chaired the BCCI’s apex council meeting last Wednesday as Binny, who was a part of the Indian team that won the 1983 World Cup, turned 70 – the cut-off date for any BCCI or state association post – on July 19.Shukla, who served as the chairman of the Indian Premier League in 2015, was elected unopposed as the BCCI vice-president in Dec 2020.
Dhumal, Chaudhry, Saikia jostling for posts
TOI has also learnt that current IPL chairman Arun Dhumal and former BCCI treasurer Anirudh Chaudhry could be in the fray for the position of BCCI secretary. However, the chances of incumbent secretary Devajit Saikia continuing in that post cannot be ruled out. It is also learnt that Chaudhry ‘s name has also been doing the rounds as a probable candidate to become the IPL chairman. Dhumal became the IPL chairman in 2022 and had served as BCCI treasurer for three years before that. “Apparently, there’s some confusion around whether Dhumal is supposed to serve a cooling period. Things will become clearer in the next few days,” a source said.Saikia, a former Assam wicketkeeper, was elected as the secretary of the BCCI on Jan 12, 2025. “Saikia has done a good job so far in the almost nine months that he has been in charge, driving the BCCI efficiently through a period where a lot has happened both on and off the field in Indian cricket. There’s no reason to believe that he can’t continue as the BCCI secretary,” say those tracking developments.
Poll
Do you believe Rajeev Shukla is the right choice for BCCI president?
A seasoned cricket administrator, Saikia was previously the BCCI joint secretary and secretary of the Assam Cricket Association. After the election of the former BCCI secretary Jay Shah to the position of Chair of the International Cricket Council, he also served as the acting interim secretary of the BCCI, before becoming the secretary of the Board.Meanwhile, Goa’s Rohan Desai is expected to continue as the joint secretary of the BCCI and Chhattisgarh’s Prabhtej Singh Bhatia is likely to stay as the BCCI treasurer.
