Mithun Manhas, the former Delhi captain with two decades of domestic cricket behind him, is poised to take charge as president of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI). His will be the only name in contention for the post when nominations close, virtually confirming his succession following Roger Binny’s resignation in August.
As of Saturday evening, Manhas stood uncontested in the race. The vacancy created by Binny’s exit had been temporarily overseen by BCCI vice-president Rajeev Shukla, but consensus now appears to have formed around Manhas.
The 45-year-old, who turns 46 next month, was born in Jammu and enjoyed a distinguished domestic career spanning two decades. He represented Delhi until 2015 before moving to Jammu and Kashmir, retiring the following year. Across 157 First-Class matches, Manhas amassed 9,714 runs, in addition to 4,126 runs in 130 List A fixtures and 1,170 runs in 91 T20 games.
Since retirement, he has carved out a varied coaching career, working with IPL franchises such as Royal Challengers Bengaluru, Kings XI Punjab (now Punjab Kings) and Gujarat Titans, besides a stint as batting consultant for Bangladesh’s men’s Under-19 side. He also serves on the BCCI sub-committee overseeing the Jammu & Kashmir Cricket Association.
Also read: BCCI to elect new president on Sep 28
The BCCI’s annual general meeting on 28 September in Mumbai will formally ratify appointments. Unless unexpected nominations surface, the line-up discussed in Delhi on Saturday is expected to hold. According to ESPNcricinfo, the informal meeting was attended by ICC chairman Jay Shah, Shukla, BCCI secretary Devajit Saikia, DDCA president Rohan Jaitley and former board secretary Niranjan Shah.
If confirmed, Manhas will be joined by another cricketer at the top table. Raghuram Bhat, the former Karnataka left-arm spinner and current president of the Karnataka State Cricket Association, is set to take over as treasurer.
It is understood that Saikia will continue as secretary, while Shukla remains vice-president. Prabhtej Bhatia of Chhattisgarh will step into the role of joint secretary, replacing Rohan Desai of Goa. Former Saurashtra captain Jaydev Shah is also likely to be inducted into the BCCI Apex Council, replacing Mizoram’s Khairul Jamal Majumdar, who may shift to the IPL Governing Council.
With the new Sports Act looming and Indian cricket preparing for another transitional phase, Manhas’ ascent signals a fresh chapter at the helm of the world’s wealthiest cricket board.
Follow us
