New Delhi:
With Jay Shah taking charge as the youngest President of the International Cricket Council (ICC) on December 1, the post of Secretary in the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) became vacant and the post of Secretary in the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) as well as officials from the state associations associated with the Board is yet to fill the vacancy. Don’t know who will take his place. After the constitutional amendment in the world’s most powerful cricket board in 2022, its secretary is the most influential official.
The BCCI Secretary has ‘all powers relating to cricket and non-cricket matters’ and the CEO (Chief Executive Officer) works under his supervision. Shah was elected unopposed to the top ICC post in August and since then BCCI stakeholders have been pondering over changes in the board.
The names of Gujarat’s Anil Patel and current joint secretary of the board Devjit Saikia are in the race to replace Shah in BCCI. The name of DDCA President Rohan Jaitley also came up, but it remained only speculation.
A BCCI administrator said, “We don’t know what is happening. Everyone (BCCI officials and state units) is silent on the matter. Most likely, the joint secretary (Saikia) will be the interim for now.” “There are issues which have to be dealt with on a daily basis and whoever comes in should have some knowledge about the functioning of the BCCI,” he said.
After an elected official resigns, the board has 45 days to call a special general meeting (AGM) and select his or her successor. If 45 days are counted from the day Shah takes charge as ICC, then the board has time till mid-January to fill the post. According to the constitution, BCCI also has to appoint a returning officer at least four weeks before the elections.
A senior official of the state unit said the board has enough time to complete the changes. This officer said, “The settlement of the matter should have been completed by now. The secretary has to sign most of the documents. The matter should have been raised in the AGM (in September), but no one raised the question at that time.” .”
Another official of the state unit said, “BCCI, the most powerful cricket body in the world, is lacking a person with the authority to take important decisions.” The current three-year term of the board officials is ending in September next year. In such a situation, the new secretary will take charge for about one year.
There is no information yet about who will be the new representative of BCCI in the ICC Board. Shah also performed this responsibility and Board Chairman Roger Binny is in the list of alternate directors. IPL Chairman Arun Dhumal is India’s representative in the ICC Chief Executive Committee.
