 "Former Delhi cricketer Mithun Manhas could become BCCI president on 28 September. Image: AFP")
The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has had a former player as its president for quite a while now. Former India captain Sourav Ganguly was the BCCI head from 2019 to 2022, before 1983 World Cup-winning all-rounder Roger Binny took over. Binny turned 70 in July this year and has become ineligible as per the Lodha Committee recommendations to seek a new tenure.
Hence, it was time to find a new former player who could be the new BCCI president. Ganguly, who is back as Cricket Association of Bengal (CAB) president, was touted for a return, while greats like Sachin Tendulkar and Harbhajan Singh were also linked.
Mithun Manhas emerges as next BCCI president pick
Tendulkar released a statement and distanced himself from the possibility of becoming the new president. However, no one could have imagined that former Delhi First-Class cricketer Mithun Manhas would emerge as the top candidate for the biggest cricketing job in the country.
But that’s what has happened. As per news agency PTI and other media outlets, Manhas and the Karnataka State Cricket Association (KSCA) president Raghuram Bhat, who played two Tests for India, are the top candidates in the race to become the BCCI president. Manhas, who never played for India, is leading the race, while Bhat could end up as the treasurer.
Inside high-profile meeting where Manhas was picked
The names of Manhas and Bhat were reportedly selected in a high-profile meeting that took place at a Union Minister’s residence on Saturday night, a report in Cricbuzz said. Since the BJP formed the government in the centre, the focus has been on appointing former players to key positions of sports federations.
The Saturday meeting was held with the same view and included some of the most powerful cricket administrators. The motive was to reach a consensus before the presidential election at the BCCI Annual General Meeting (AGM).
The meeting was attended by all major BCCI personnel, including vice-president Rajeev Shukla, secretary Devajit Saikia, joint secretary Rohan Dessai, treasurer Prabhtej Singh Bhatia and IPL commissioner Arun Singh Dhumal. Also present at the meeting were former BCCI secretary Niranjan Shah from Saurashtra, Kasi Viswanathan, who represented former BCCI president N Srinivasan, and Brijesh Patel, the former chairman of the IPL Governing Council and a biggie from Karnataka cricket.
As per PTI, Ganguly, who was in Delhi on Saturday, may or may not have attended the meeting, while Harbhajan was not part of the meeting, ruling both of them out of the race for the president post.
Impact Shorts
More ShortsThe Saturday meeting was essential as Sunday (21 September) is the last day for filing the nominations. The BCCI AGM will take place on 28 September, where the new president will be picked. As per reports, Manhas and Bhat will travel to Mumbai on Sunday to file their nominations.
“All of them have been asked to proceed to Mumbai,” a source told Cricbuzz.
Who is Mithun Manhas?
The reports have also indicated that Shukla, Saikia, Bhatia and Dessai are set to retain their positions, but Dhumal is likely to leave for a mandatory cool-off period having completed a cumulative period of six years.
Manhas’ name was nominated by the Jammu and Kashmir Cricket Association (JKCA), where he is involved as Director of Cricket Operations. As a cricketer, he played in 157 First-Class matches for Delhi, scoring 9714 runs at 45, with 27 hundreds. He also played 130 List A and 91 T20 matches for Delhi. In the Indian Premier League (IPL), Manhas turned up for Chennai Super Kings, erstwhile Delhi Daredevils and the now-defunct Pune Warriors India.