Former Delhi captain Mithun Manhas is set to take charge as the new president of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), with his name emerging as the only nomination for the top post after the deadline for filing closed on Sunday, according to ESPNcricinfo. The position has been vacant since Roger Binny stepped down in August, with vice-president Rajeev Shukla holding the role in an interim capacity.
Alongside Manhas, another former cricketer is likely to join the board’s leadership team. Former India spinner Raghuram Bhat, who currently heads the Karnataka State Cricket Association, is expected to be appointed as the new treasurer.
Manhas, who turns 46 next month, has been deeply involved in cricket administration. He is part of the BCCI-appointed sub-committee overseeing the Jammu & Kashmir Cricket Association. Originally from Jammu, he moved from Delhi to J&K in 2015 before retiring in 2016. Post-retirement, he held coaching roles with IPL franchises Royal Challengers Bengaluru, Punjab Kings, and Gujarat Titans, and also worked as a batting consultant for Bangladesh’s Under-19 team.
A prolific domestic cricketer, Manhas played 157 first-class matches between 1997 and 2017, scoring 9,714 runs. He also featured in 130 List A games, amassing 4,126 runs, and 91 T20 matches with 1,170 runs.
His candidacy was discussed during an informal meeting in Delhi on Saturday, attended by ICC chairman Jay Shah, Rajeev Shukla, BCCI secretary Devajit Saikia, DDCA president Rohan Jaitley, and former board secretary Niranjan Shah.
The BCCI elections for office bearers are scheduled during the annual general meeting in Mumbai on September 28. Unless new nominations emerge, the Delhi meeting’s choices are expected to be formalised.
Current secretary Devajit Saikia is likely to continue in his role, while Shukla will remain vice-president. Treasurer Prabhtej Bhatia is expected to become joint secretary, replacing Rohan Desai. Former Saurashtra skipper Jaydev Shah is also set to join the Apex Council, while Mizoram’s Khairul Jamal Majumdar is expected to move to the IPL Governing Council.
-ANI
