Mumbai, September 28 – Former Delhi captain Mithun Manhas was elected unopposed as the new president of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) during its 94th Annual General Meeting (AGM) held in Mumbai on Sunday. Alongside him, BCCI secretary Devajit Saikia and several other key members were also elected without contest.
As per agency report, Manhas, 45, became the 37th president of the board, succeeding Roger Binny, who stepped down last month after turning 70. Manhas follows Binny and former captain Sourav Ganguly, making him the third consecutive first-class cricketer to hold the top position.
A seasoned all-rounder, Manhas played 157 first-class matches, 130 List A games, and 55 Indian Premier League matches between 1997-98 and 2016-17. He came into contention for the role after an informal meeting of senior board officials in New Delhi on September 20, just before the close of nominations. He has also served on a three-member ad-hoc committee set up by the BCCI to manage the affairs of the Jammu and Kashmir Cricket Association following mismanagement issues.
Manhas, who scored 9,714 runs in first-class cricket including 27 centuries and 4,126 runs in List A, expressed confidence that his experience as both a player and administrator would help him shoulder the responsibility. He described his appointment as an honour and acknowledged the weight of responsibility that comes with leading what is often called the world’s most powerful cricket board.
The AGM also confirmed several other important appointments. Saikia retained his role as secretary, while Arun Dhumal continued as chairman of the IPL Governing Council. Former Karnataka cricketer Raghuram Bhat was chosen as treasurer, replacing Rohan Gauns Desai, while Prabhtej Bhatia took over as joint secretary. Veteran administrator Rajeev Shukla remained as vice president, and M Khairul Jamal Majumdar was nominated as one of the IPL council representatives alongside Dhumal. Saurashtra Cricket Association president Jaydev Shah was inducted as a member of the Apex Council.
The AGM further finalized changes in the selection panels. Former India internationals RP Singh and Pragyan Ojha joined the men’s selection committee, while Tamil Nadu’s former batsman S Sharath returned to the junior panel after serving in the senior committee. The senior committee, chaired by Ajit Agarkar, now includes Shiv Sundar Das, Ajay Ratra, RP Singh and Ojha. On the women’s side, former pacer Amita Sharma replaced Neetu David as chair of the selection committee. She will be joined by Shyama Dey, Jaya Sharma and Sravanthi Naidu, with their tenure beginning after the Women’s World Cup co-hosted by India and Sri Lanka from September 30 to November 2.
Kerala Cricket Association president Jayesh George was appointed as the first independent chair of the Women’s Premier League Committee, a position previously held by Binny since the league’s inception in 2023. Delhi and District Cricket Association president Rohan Jaitley was named head of the Infrastructure Committee. The BCCI also directed state associations to send nominations for various committees, including the Cricket Advisory Committee and the Umpires Committee, ensuring candidates meet eligibility provisions.
The AGM was attended by several former cricketers. Punjab Cricket Association representative Harbhajan Singh welcomed Manhas’s election, calling it a positive step to have a cricketer in charge of the board. He also urged the BCCI to extend support towards flood relief efforts in Punjab and other northern states.
Notably, former BCCI president and current Cricket Association of Bengal chief Sourav Ganguly was absent from the meeting.
