Former Delhi captain Mithun Manhas was unanimously elected as the 37th president of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) during its Annual General Meeting (AGM) in Mumbai, succeeding Roger Binny, who stepped down in August after turning 70. The 45-year-old, the first Jammu and Kashmir-born individual and uncapped cricketer to hold the post, marks the third consecutive former player to lead the BCCI, following Sourav Ganguly (2019–2022) and Binny (2022–2025). Manhas’s election, backed by the Jammu and Kashmir Cricket Association (JKCA), reflects the BCCI’s commitment to having cricketers at the helm, as mandated by the 2019 Lodha Committee reforms.
New BCCI Leadership
The AGM finalized a robust leadership panel:
- President: Mithun Manhas, former Delhi and JKCA cricketer.
- Vice-President: Rajeev Shukla, continuing his role with extensive administrative experience.
- Secretary: Devajit Saikia, retained after replacing Jay Shah in January 2025.
- Joint Secretary: Prabhtej Singh Bhatia, previously treasurer, from Chhattisgarh Cricket Sangh.
- Treasurer: A. Raghuram Bhat, former Karnataka and India spinner, current KSCA president.
- Apex Council Member: Jaydev Niranjan Shah, former Saurashtra captain.
- IPL Governing Council Members: Arun Singh Dhumal (retained as chairman) and M. Khairul Jamal Majumdar.
The panel blends cricketing and administrative expertise, with Manhas and Bhat bringing on-field experience and others like Shukla and Dhumal ensuring continuity.
Who is Mithun Manhas?
Born on October 12, 1979, in Jammu, Manhas moved to Delhi for Under-16 cricket and became a domestic stalwart. Over an 18-year career (1997–2017), he played:
- 157 First-Class Matches: Scored 9,714 runs at an average of 45.82, with 27 centuries and 49 fifties, leading Delhi to the 2007-08 Ranji Trophy title with 921 runs at 57.56.
- 130 List A Matches: Amassed 4,126 runs.
- 91 T20 Matches: Scored 1,170 runs, including 55 IPL games for Delhi Daredevils (2008–2010), Pune Warriors (2011–2013), and Chennai Super Kings (2014).
- Leadership: Captained Delhi, mentoring a young Virat Kohli during his 2006 debut, and occasionally bowled off-spin or kept wickets.
Despite his prolific record, Manhas never played for India, overshadowed by stars like Sachin Tendulkar, Rahul Dravid, and Sourav Ganguly. Post-retirement, he served as a batting consultant for IPL teams (Gujarat Titans, Punjab Kings) and Bangladesh’s U-19 team, and as Director of Cricket for JKCA since 2021, revitalizing the region’s cricket infrastructure.
Election Context
Manhas emerged as a surprise consensus choice after a high-profile meeting in Delhi on September 20, attended by ICC chairman Jay Shah, Shukla, Saikia, DDCA president Rohan Jaitley, and former secretary Niranjan Shah. With no other nominations by the September 21 deadline, he was elected unopposed. The decision sidelined bigger names like Ganguly and Harbhajan Singh, reflecting strategic maneuvering to balance regional representation and cricketing credentials. Legal opinions ensured Manhas’s eligibility despite not being an elected JKCA office-bearer, as he represented the association at prior AGMs.
Harbhajan Singh, representing Punjab Cricket Association, welcomed the move, stating, “A cricketer at the helm is a positive step. I’ve played with Mithun since U-19 days, and I hope he ensures no young cricketer is left behind due to lack of infrastructure.” Union Minister Jitendra Singh called it “a providential Sunday” for Doda, Manhas’s ancestral district in Jammu and Kashmir.
Vision and Challenges
Manhas inherits a BCCI navigating global and domestic challenges:
- Infrastructure and Grassroots: His JKCA tenure, where he oversaw new pitches and led the team to Ranji Trophy quarterfinals, signals a focus on grassroots development.
- Global Tensions: The BCCI faces scrutiny over India-Pakistan cricket relations, with a complaint filed against Pakistan players Haris Rauf and Sahibzada Farhan after the Asia Cup 2025 clash, amid boycott calls over the April 2025 Pahalgam attack.
- Domestic Incentives: The BCCI recently introduced a ₹1 crore incentive for domestic cricketers, a move Manhas is expected to champion to strengthen the domestic circuit.
