Mithun Manhas set to become next BCCI President

Former Delhi captain Mithun Manhas is all but confirmed as the next president of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI). As of Saturday, with the deadline for nominations approaching, Manhas remained the only candidate in the fray for the top position, which has been vacant since Roger Binny stepped down in August. Vice-president Rajeev Shukla had been handling the responsibilities in an interim capacity since then.

Another former cricketer is also expected to join the BCCI leadership. Raghuram Bhat, ex-India spinner and current president of the Karnataka State Cricket Association, is set to take over as the treasurer.

Manhas, who turns 46 in October, is currently a member of the BCCI sub-committee overseeing the Jammu & Kashmir Cricket Association. Born in Jammu, he represented Delhi for most of his domestic career before moving to J&K in 2015 and retiring a year later. Over nearly two decades, he featured in 157 first-class matches (9714 runs), 130 List A games (4126 runs), and 91 T20s (1170 runs). Post-retirement, he transitioned into coaching, working with IPL sides including Punjab Kings, Royal Challengers Bengaluru, and Gujarat Titans, as well as serving as batting consultant for Bangladesh Under-19s.

The decision was shaped during an informal meeting on Saturday in Delhi, attended by senior figures including Jay Shah (ICC chairman), Rajeev Shukla, BCCI secretary Devajit Saikia, DDCA president Rohan Jaitley, and former BCCI secretary Niranjan Shah.

With elections scheduled for September 28 in Mumbai at the annual general meeting, the leadership structure is taking shape:

• Devajit Saikia is set to continue as secretary.
• Rajeev Shukla will remain vice-president.
• Prabhtej Bhatia (Chhattisgarh) is expected to move from treasurer to joint secretary, replacing Goa’s Rohan Desai.
• Former Saurashtra captain Jaydev Shah is likely to join the BCCI Apex Council, replacing Mizoram’s Khairul Jamal Majumdar, who is tipped to move into the IPL Governing Council.

Unless last-minute nominations are filed, Mithun Manhas’ election as BCCI president will be a formality at the AGM, making him one of the rare modern-era domestic giants to lead Indian cricket’s governing body.

Source: ESPNcricinfo

Image Credit: ESPNcricinfo and Hindustan Times