Ex-CSK Player Likely to Become New BCCI President

Mithun Manhas, likely the next BCCI President, served as the batting consultant for the Gujarat Titans during their title-winning 2022 IPL season.

Ex-CSK Player Likely to Become New BCCI President

Mithun Manhas is expected to been appointed new BCCI president, replacing Roger Binny. (via Mint)

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Former Chennai Super Kings batter and Delhi captain Mithun Manhas has emerged as the unlikely front-runner to be elected as the new president of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI). The 45-year-old will succeed former president Roger Binny, whose tenure ended only last month.

The BCCI election is set to be held on September 28, during its Annual General Meeting in Mumbai, which will be attended by members of the apex council, as well as representatives from the state cricketing associations. They are set to decide upon a consensus for the election of the new BCCI president. The process of filing nomination papers for the presidential elections ended today, after the two-day window. 

Ex-Delhi cricketer Mithun Manhas, who never played for India, is expected to be elected unopposed, after having emerged as a consensus candidate within the top brass of the BCCI. Manhas has been selected the nominee of the Jammu and Kashmir Cricket Association, after having worked as its Director for the past year. Apart from Manhas, three other former players had also emerged as candidates, including Karnataka nominee Raghuram Bhatt and Punjab nominee Harbhajan Singh. 

Former BCCI president and India captain Sourav Ganguly also remained in the fray. This development comes after a closed-door meeting among several BCCI officials and the representatives, was held at a union minister’s residence in Delhi. BCCI secretary Devajit Saikia, vice-president Rajeev Shukla, treasurer Prabhtej Singh Bhatia, and IPL commissioner Arun Dhumal, all of whom are expected to continue in their roles, were present.

Mithun Manhas’ candidacy has been under the radar all the while. The 45-year-old played 157 first-class and 130 List-A matches throughout his career, scoring over 13,500 runs at an average under 46, hitting 32 hundreds and 75 fifties.

Apart from his impressive domestic cricket record, Manhas’ coaching career has been noteworthy, having worked as assistant coach at both Kings XI Punjab and Gujarat Titans, and is known for his great understanding of grassroot cricket, through his recent stint in J&K. 

Mithus Manhas’ appointment will follow the end of Roger Binny‘s tenure, which concluded last month after he reached the mandatory retirement age of 70. The 1983 World Cup-winning icon had held the position for three years, taking over from Sourav Ganguly in 2022.

Two Former India Cricketers to Join Ajit Agarkar’s BCCI Selection Panel

Ex-India cricketers Rudra Pratap Singh and Pragyan Ojha are set to join the Ajit Agarkar-led panel of BCCI Senior National Selectors. They will take over as the South and Central Zone representatives, respectively, with the process being a part of a major shake-up within the board.

RP Singh Pragyan Ojha BCCI selectors
RP Singh and Pragyan Ojha are set to join the Ajit Agarkar-led BCCI selection committee. (via India Today)

After the 2025 Asia Cup squad was announced, the BCCI decided to remove two selectors from the five-member committee; Sridharan Sharath and Subroto Banerjee. The BCCI invited applications to fill these vacant positions last month, with the criteria that candidates must have played a specified number of international or domestic matches and have been retired for at least five years.

Reports indicated that several high-profile names applied for the roles, including Praveen Kumar, Ashish Winston Zaidi, and Shakti Singh, in addition to RP Singh and Pragyan Ojha. Among all the applicants, RP and Pragyan were deemed the most eligible. RP Singh was a member of the title-winning 2007 T20 World Cup squad, while Ojha, once reached the number five ranking on the ICC Test Bowler Rankings.

This overhaul within the BCCI also includes new administrative appointments. Former India Test cricketer Raghuram Bhatt has been appointed as the board’s new honorary treasurer, replacing Prabhtej Singh Bhatia, who will now serve as the joint secretary.

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