For the past two terms, former cricketers have occupied the president’s chair at the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI). This time, however, the world’s richest cricket board appears to be heading for a shift with no prominent former player in the race for the BCCI elections scheduled for September 28 in Mumbai.
Speculation initially swirled around Sachin Tendulkar and Sunil Gavaskar, but Tendulkar declined, while Gavaskar is ineligible under the board’s age cap of 70 years. Their absence has once again highlighted the unusual nature of the BCCI presidency. Globally, the post of board president or chairman carries enormous weight, but in India, the real power rests with the secretary, leaving the presidential post a largely ceremonial one.
With cricketers reluctant, the board seems poised to return to its old pattern, where industrialists and administrators held sway. The BCCI’s Annual General Meeting (AGM) on September 28 will decide the new president and vice-president with discussions already pointing to continuity rather than a shake-up.
Among the frontrunners is current vice-president Rajeev Shukla, who may either retain his position, step up as president or take over the high-profile Indian Premier League (IPL) chairmanship.
The IPL role itself is attracting interest with former treasurer Anirudh Choudhury and Bengal’s Avishek Dalmiya, currently on the IPL Governing Council, seen as strong contenders. Meanwhile, other key posts appear settled: Rohan Desai of Goa is likely to continue as joint secretary and Prabhtej Singh Bhatia of Chhattisgarh is expected to retain the treasurer’s chair.
Outgoing president Roger Binny, who succeeded Sourav Ganguly unopposed in October 2022, had a quiet tenure, reinforcing the perception that the role, howsoever prestigious, carries limited influence.
As the election day approaches, the intrigue lies not in the ceremonial title of president, but in how the reshuffle could recalibrate the BCCI’s internal power balance. With the IPL, global cricket diplomacy and India’s domestic structure at stake, even symbolic shifts will be closely watched.
By Joe Williams
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