Mumbai (Maharashtra) [India], September 28 (ANI): Following his appointment as the president of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), former Delhi cricket stalwart Mithun Manhas said that the responsibility is huge and he is committed to doing it to the best of his abilities, with dedication and passion.
Manhas was on Sunday elected as the new president of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), A Raghuram Bhat as a new treasurer, and former bowlers RP Singh and Pragyan Ojha have joined the men’s selection committee of the board. The decisions were a few of many made during the 94th Annual General Meeting of BCCI, which was held on Sunday in Mumbai. Devajit Saikia was chosen to continue his stint as the secretary, while Prabhtej Bhjatia will now be the organisation’s joint secretary, as per a press release from BCCI. Rajeev Shukla will also continue as BCCI’s vice-president.
Speaking to the media after his appointment, Manhas said, “It is a huge responsibility and I give my assurance that I will be committed to do it to the best of my abilities, dedication and passion… It is the best board in the world. We have the best players, best facilities, and we have the support of millions of people behind us… The only agenda is development and to take BCCI and Indian Cricket forward.”
Manhas, who turns 46 next month, has been closely involved in cricket administration. He is part of the BCCI-appointed sub-committee that oversees the Jammu & Kashmir Cricket Association. Born in Jammu, he shifted from Delhi to Jammu & Kashmir in 2015 before retiring the following year. Post-retirement, he has served in several coaching roles, including with Indian Premier League (IPL) teams Royal Challengers Bengaluru, Punjab Kings, and Gujarat Titans and also worked as a batting consultant for the Bangladesh Under-19.
An accomplished domestic cricketer, Manhas featured in 157 first-class matches between 1997 and 2017, amassing 9714 runs. He also played 130 List A games (4,126 runs) and 91 T20s (1,170 runs), making him one of the most prolific batters in India’s domestic cricket circuit.
BCCI secretary Saikia also said, “During our 94th AGM, the agenda was the elections of the Apex Council. All the candidates who had filed their nominations have been elected unopposed. Mithun Manhas is the new President… Ajit Agarkar will be the Chairman of the Men’s Selection Committee. RP Singh and Pragyan Ojha have been added to the selection committee… The Women’s Selection Committee has also been formed…”
BCCI vice-president Rajeev Shukla also spoke on how domestic cricketers have seen a rise in their pay and scale over the years to an unprecedented level.
“We are continuously expanding domestic cricket. In the last three to four years, you’ve seen what we have done in domestic cricket. First, the pay parity, the amount of money players receive, has been increased. If someone plays fourteen Ranji matches, they will receive approximately one crore rupees. Never before has so much money been allocated to domestic cricket as we are currently providing. Beyond that, we are striving to provide players with other facilities and opportunities in all of our various formats,” he said.
Shukla also outlined a rule for under-19 and under-16 players to participate in the Indian Premier League, stating, “They must play at least one first-class game to get a chance in the IPL.”
The Indian Premier League (IPL) Chairman Arun Dhumal also told the media, “All the members congratulated the new team that got appointed… It was a routine meeting… We hope for a great World Cup (T20) next year, co-hosted by India and Sri Lanka) going forward and a successful IPL, and we extend our best wishes to our women’s team for the upcoming World Cup.”
On India’s Asia Cup clash against Pakistan for the title, Dhumal said, “We have won all the games, and I am hoping for a great victory today…”
Former Saurashtra captain Jaydev Shah has also been added to the BCCI’s Apex Council, replacing Mizoram’s Khairul Jamal Majumdar, who has become a part of the two-man IPL Governing Council, alongside Arun Dhumal, the chairperson.
One representative of the General Body was elected in the Apex Council of the BCCI: Jaydev Shah.
At the meeting, the audited accounts for the financial year 2024-25 were passed and adopted by the General Body. Also, the Annual Budget of 2025-26 was approved by the General Body, the release said.
The men’s selection committee will now also include cricketers RP Singh and Pragyan Ojha, alongside chairman of selectors Ajit Agarkar, Shiv Sundar Das and Ajay Ratra. Singh and Ojha, have replaced S Sharath and Subroto Banerjee.
RP Singh played 14 Tests, 58 ODIs, and 10 T20Is for India from 2005-11, picking up 124 wickets in total and winning the ICC T20 World Cup 2007 title. Additionally, Ojha was a left-arm spinner who represented India from 2008 to 2013 in 24 Tests, 18 ODIs, and six T20Is, taking a total of 144 wickets.
The women’s selection committee will include chairperson Amita Sharma, Jaya Sharma, Sulakshana Malik, and Sravanthi Naidu, all of whom are new inductees, alongside Shyama Dey.
Also, the junior cricket committee was announced, with S Sharath, previously a part of the selection panel, being its chairperson. Alongside him are: Harvinder Sodhi, Pathik Patel, Krishna Mohan and Ranadeb Bose.
The committee for the Women’s Premier League will be headed by Jayesh George and will have Manhas, Shukla, Saikia, Prabhtej, Raghhuram, Madhumati Lele, Sanjay Tandon, RI Palani, and Dhumal as its members.
The infrastructure committee will feature Rohan Jaitley, the president of the Delhi and District Cricket Association (DDCA), as their chairperson, alongside Manhas, Shukla, Saikia, Prabhtej, Raghuram, Anirudh Chaudhary and Sana Sathish Babu. (ANI)
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