Mithun Manhas Is The New BCCI President

 

 

Former domestic cricketer Mithun Manhas was on Sunday elected as the President of the Board of Control for Cricket in India at their Annual General Meeting held here.

 

Union Minister Jitendra Singh confirmed the news through a post on X. Singh said, "A momentous occasion to celebrate! Mithun Manhas has been officially declared as the new President of the ‘Board of Control for Cricket in India’ #BCCI. What a providential Sunday for the erstwhile district of Doda, one of the remotest parts of Jammu & Kashmir, which incidentally also happens to be my own home district. Within a gap of few hours, first a daughter of Kishtwar, Sheetal, shines out as World Champion and soon thereafter a son of Bhaderwah, Mithun stands atop."

Manhas has administrative as well as cricketing experience. He was associated with the Jammu and Kashmir Cricket Association (JKCA) and has also represented the state in the BCCI.

 

BCCI Vice President Rajiv Shukla told reporters, "Mithun Manhas has become the new President of BCCI. I have been elected as Vice President, Devajit Saikia as Secretary, and Arun Singh Dhumal will be the Indian Premier League Chairman."

 

After making his domestic debut in the 1997/98 season, Manhas was one of the key middle-order batters. He captained the Delhi side in the domestic circuit, guiding them to the Ranji Trophy title in 2007-08, scoring 921 runs with an average of 57.76. In 2015, he switched from Delhi to Jammu and Kashmir.

 

After taking charge, Manhas said it was a huge responsibility. "I give my assurance that I will be committed to do it to the best of my abilities, dedication and passion. It is the best board in the world. We have the best players, best facilities, and we have the support of millions of people behind us. The only agenda is development and to take BCCI and Indian cricket forward," Manhas told reporters.

 

"Maybe my work, my credentials… both as an administrator, as well as a cricketer. For the past four years, I've been working with the JKCA, we have done reasonably well, and it will certainly help," he said when asked about the factors that worked in his election as the board’s president.

 

In other decisions, the BCCI confirmed the appointment of former India pacer RP Singh and former India spinner Pragyan Ojha as the national selectors. Singh and Ojha replace Subroto Banerjee and S Sharath in the selection committee. S Sharath will be the chairman of the selectors for the men's junior selection committee, which comprises Harvinder Sodhi, Pathik Patel, Kishan Mohan and Ranadeb Bose.

 

It is also understood that Jayesh George of the Kerala Cricket Association will be the Chairman of the Governing Council for the Women's Premier League. Former Saurashtra skipper Jaydev Shah, who is now the president of the Saurashtra Cricket Association, has been included in the BCCI apex council.

 

M Khairul Jamal Majumdar will be on the IPL governing council. Delhi and District Cricket Association (DDCA) president Rohan Jaitley will head the infrastructure committee of the BCCI.

 

Former India player Amita Sharma will be the new Chief Selector for the women's senior selection committee. Sharma, who has played 5 Women's Test Matches and 116 ODIs, replaces Neetu David. Former India player Sulakshana Naik, Jaya Sharma and Sravanthi Naidu have also been added to the women's senior selection committee.

 

BCCI Secretary Devjit Saikia said the BCCI has asked the state associations to provide nominations for various committees, including the Cricket Advisory Committee and the Umpire’s Committee

 

Former India cricketer Harbhajan Singh, who represented the Punjab Cricket Association (PCA) in the BCCI AGM, congratulated Manhas on his appointment. "I congratulate the new BCCI team, including Mithun (Manhas) and all the members. What BCCI and Jay Shah have done for cricketers to make the sport grow is commendable. Every cricket lover has been given a new direction and I hope BCCI will work to better the game. Jay Shah has left a huge legacy behind and now he is the ICC Chairman. When a cricketer heads a cricket body, his experience comes into play. I have played a lot with Mithun, especially in our Under-19 days," Harbhajan, a former off-spinner, told reporters.

 

Rajiv Shukla also said that in order to be eligible to play in the Indian Premier League, Under-19 and Under-16 players must have played at least one First Class match.

Meanwhile, former India skipper Saurav Ganguly, who was supposed to attend the AGM on behalf of the Cricket Association of Bengal, missed out due to a personal reason.