Jay Shah's meteoric rise and what his elevation to ICC chairman could mean

With Greg Barclay not extending his tenure as ICC chairman , there was intense speculation of Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) secretary Jay Shah filling in his boots at the sport’s governing body.

On Tuesday (August 27), the last date for filing nominations for the chairman’s post, Shah was announced as the chairman-elect .

An ICC chairman is eligible for three terms of two years each and Barclay, a New Zealand-based attorney, has so far completed four years.

“ICC Chair Greg Barclay confirmed to the Board that he will not stand for a third term and will step down from the post when his current tenure finishes at the end of November. Barclay was appointed as the Independent ICC Chair in November 2020, before being re-elected in 2022,” the ICC stated in a media release.

Jay Shah a strong candidate

As per ICC rules, there are 16 votes for the chairman’s election. A simple majority of nine votes is required (51%) to win. Earlier, to become the chairman, the incumbent needed to have two-thirds majority.

“Current directors are now required to put forward nominations for the next Chair by 27 August 2024 and if there is more than one candidate, an election will be held with the term of the new Chair commencing on 1 December 2024.”

Though all that was deemed unnecessary as Shah, head of ICC’s all-powerful Finance and Commercial Affairs (F&CA) sub-committee, was elected unopposed.

Currently, Shah has another year left as the BCCI secretary before going on a mandatory “cooling off period” of three years from October 2025.

As per the BCCI constitution approved by the Supreme Court, an office bearer can stay for six before he needs to go for a cooling off of three years. In all, a person can stay in office for a cumulative period of 18 years, – nine in state association and nine in BCCI.

With Shah deciding to move to ICC with a year of his secretaryship still left, he will have four years left in the BCCI.

Jay Shah’s meteoric rise

Starting as a board member with the Central Board of Cricket, Ahmedabad, in 2009, Shah has climbed the administrative ranks in cricket.

From being a board member of the Central Board of Cricket in Ahmedabad (2009), Shah has jumped to the state association and then to the highest level of responsibility in Indian cricket.

In 2013 he became Joint Secretary of the Gujarat Cricket Association (GCA). One of Shah’s significant contributions at the Gujarat Cricket Association was his role in the redevelopment of the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad.

The idea was to build a world-class cricketing facility that could host the biggest events in the cricketing calendar.

Shah’s vision went beyond just increasing seating capacity; he aimed to create a cricketing hub that could serve as a model for other states. The revamped stadium, with a capacity of 132,000, is the world’s largest cricket stadium.

In 2015 he became the head of the finance and marketing committee with the BCCI and the chief secretary in 2019.

In January 2021 he became president of the Asian Cricket Council (ACC). His leadership at the ACC has been marked by efforts to expand the reach of cricket across Asia, especially in emerging nations. Recognising his contributions, the ACC members unanimously re-elected him as President in 2024, a rare extension.

In 2019, Shah became BCCI’s representative at ICC meetings and later chaired the ICC’s Finance and Commercial Affairs committee.

His efforts were crucial in pushing for cricket’s inclusion at multi-sport events such as the Asian Games and the Olympics.

India’s growing clout under Shah

While not his baby, IPL has grown leaps and bounds in Jay Shah’s tenure at the BCCI. In 2017, Star India paid $2.55 billion for IPL’s television and digital rights for a five-year period.

In 2022, the BCCI collected $6.2 billion for IPL’s media rights selling television and digital between Viacom18 and Disney Star from 2023 to 2027.

In 2023, Viacom18 won both television and digital rights for all BCCI matches at Rs 67.8 crore per game until 2028.

India’s financial might was recognised last year by the ICC. At the Annual General Meeting in July 2023, the BCCI received a whopping 72 per cent hike in their share of ICC’s net annual earnings of $600 million dollars for the cycle between 2024 and 2027.

In other words, the Indian board will now rake in approximately $230 million, or 38.5 per cent in the revamped financial model for the next cycle.

None of the other boards come close; England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) and Cricket Australia (CA) will be earning in single-digit percentages of 6.89 ($41 million) and 6.25 ($37.53 million) respectively. Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) is fourth on the list, earning 5.75 per cent ($34.51 million) of the total pot.

Before the change, BCCI had been earning $46.7 million annually, or 22.8 per cent of ICC’s net annual earning, during the previous cycle between 2015 and 2023.

What Jay Shah’s rise could mean?

With Jay Shah stepping up the big job, history dictates it could mean bigger and better things for Indian cricket.

When N Srinivasan helmed the ICC, the ‘Big Three’ model was born with India breaking the duopoly of England and Australian cricket boards.

In 2017, ICC chairman Shashank Manohar looked to create bigger revenue stream for India. A vote said BCCI should get $290 million over an eight-year period. This was rejected by the Indian board and there were threats to boycott the Champions Trophy. Eventually, BCCI and ICC met middle ground at $405 million over eight years.

Expect more of the same under Jay Shah. India’s cricket viewership and commercial growth continue unabated and IPL remains a steady product.

India had hosted the 2023 ODI World Cup and are due to co-host the 2026 T20 World Cup, the next ambitious step would be to take the World Test Championship (WTC) final to India. It has so far been contested in Southampton and The Oval with Lord’s due to host it next year.

Previous Indian ICC chairmans

Jagmohan Dalmiya, Sharad Pawar, N Srinivasan and Shashank Manohar are the only other Indians to have helmed the ICC in the past.

Dalmiya assumed office as ICC president in 1997 and held the post until 2000. Sharad Pawar was next to step up in 2010 and kept the position for two years.

In 2014, the ICC president’s position was made honorary and elevated the post of the chairman. BCCI president N Srinivasan became the first ICC chairman in June 2014. He remained in the job for one year before Shashank Manohar took over.

Manohar remained in the hot seat for four years before stepping down in 2020.

Greg Barclay took over in 2020 after Imran Khawaja filled the role in stop-gap capacity. The New Zealander kept the job before deciding to not continue for a third term.