The numbers will favour Jay Shah to mount the saddle as the next ICC Chairman but there is no clarity if he decides to join the world governing body, who will replace him as BCCI secretary. Shah is supposed to have the backing of 15 out of 16 members in the ICC Board but has less than 96 hours to decide if he wants to make the move when he still has one year left in his second consecutive term as BCCI secretary. The new ICC chairman will take charge on December 1, and the last date for filing nomination is August 27. The mandatory three-year cooling off period to make a comeback to the wealthiest cricket board will start for Shah after completion of his term in October 2025.
But there is a big question mark as to who will replace Shah in the BCCI since neither he himself nor the people close to him have yet divulged his immediate plans.
PTI takes a look at possible candidates:
Rajiv Shukla: There is a possibility that BCCI rejigs the positions and asks current vice-president Shukla, a Congress MP in Rajya Sabha, to do the job for one year. Shukla wouldn’t certainly mind becoming a secretary as BCCI vice-presidents are more like rubber-stamp.
Ashish Shelar: Then there is Maharashtra BJP heavyweight Shelar, who is BCCI treasurer and big name in MCA administration. Shelar however is a consummate politician and BCCI secretaryship is a time consuming job, However, being an influential name, he could be in the mix.
Arun Dhumal: The IPL Chairman has requisite experience to run the board. He has been a treasurer and now heads cash-rich league. Dhumal and Shukla swapping designations could be the easiest way out but often BCCI throws up names that no one could envisages.
There is joint secretary Devajit ‘Lon’ Saikia, not the most popular name but a vital cog in current BCCI administration, who could also be elevated.
Whatever be the permutation and combinations at play, there will be one new candidate in the office-bearers’ list if Shah is officially ready to take the plunge.
Among the younger administrators, there is DDCA president Rohan Jaitley or former CAB president Avishek Dalmiya, whose names could come up for discussion. Other young state unit officials include Punjab’s Dilsher Khanna, Goa’s Vipul Phadke and Chattisgarh’s Prabhtej Bhatia, a former IPL Governing Council member Is there a chance that a completely new face gets the top job? “Obviously, it can happen as there are no hard and fast rules. But if you look at BCCI’s power structure, president, secretary and treasurer are three key posts,” said a former BCCI secretary.
“There are people who have been in the system and someone just coming and bypassing them normally doesn’t happen. But first, is Jay ready to go to the ICC? Even if he doesn’t go now, he can go anytime,” he added.
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