Mithun Manhas becomes 37th BCCI President
Former Delhi cricketer Mithun Manhas was officially named the new president of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) on Sunday in Mumbai. His appointment was confirmed during the BCCI Annual General Meeting (AGM), where he was elected unopposed.
Manhas becomes the 37th president of the board, taking over from Roger Binny, who stepped down last month after turning 70.
Rajeev Shukla has been appointed as the vice president, Devajit Saikia has been elected as the honorary secretary, and Prabhtej Singh Bhatia has taken charge as the joint secretary.
A Raghuram Bhat has been named as the BCCI treasurer, while Jaydev Niranjan Shah has been appointed as the sole member of the Apex Council. In addition, Arun Singh Dhumal and Khairul Jamal Majumdar have joined the BCCI Governing Council.
New Office-Bearers and Council Members Announced
Former India pacer RP Singh and spinner Pragyan Ojha have been inducted into the men’s selection committee. On the women’s side, Amita Sharma has been appointed as the new chairperson of the selection panel, replacing Neetu David.
A veteran of 116 ODIs for India, Sharma will work alongside Jaya Sharma, Shyama Dey, and Sravanthi Naidu. The new panel will officially take charge after the Women’s World Cup, scheduled in India and Sri Lanka from September 30 to November 2.
Mithun Manhas is the third consecutive former cricketer to take charge as BCCI president, following Sourav Ganguly and Roger Binny. Earlier, he served as the Director of Cricket for the Jammu and Kashmir Cricket Association. During his domestic career from 1997-98 to 2016-17, Manhas featured in 157 First-Class, 130 List A, and 91 T20 matches.
Harbhajan Singh Welcomes Manhas Appointment
Former India spinner Harbhajan Singh, who attended the AGM as Punjab Cricket Association’s representative, welcomed Manhas’ appointment, calling it “a good decision.” Speaking to PTI, Harbhajan said that when a cricketer heads a cricket body, his experience adds great value. He added that it is encouraging to see former players leading the BCCI for the last three terms, as it gives them an opportunity to give back to the game.
Harbhajan further added, “The BCCI has set a great example, and for any cricketer, there is nothing bigger than getting a chance to give back to the game. I’ve played a lot of cricket with Mithun since our U-19 days, and I’m really happy for him.