Former Delhi player Manhas elected new India cricket board president
Manhas, 45, was the sole nominee for the post and assumed charge following the board’s annual general meeting in Mumbai.
Former domestic cricketer and administrator Mithun Manhas was unanimously elected president of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), the game's most powerful national body, on Sunday.
Manhas, 45, was the sole nominee for the post and assumed charge following the board's annual general meeting in Mumbai. Rajeev Shukla was elected vice-president, while Devajit Saikia retained his position as secretary, the BCCI confirmed in a statement.
Although Manhas never represented India, he moved into cricket administration after concluding a prolific first-class career. He succeeds former World Cup winner Roger Binny, who stepped down in August on reaching the mandatory retirement age of 70.
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The BCCI remains by far the wealthiest cricket board in the world, buoyed by the game's extraordinary popularity in India and the vast revenues it generates from sponsorship and broadcast rights.
Manhas's elevation is understood to have been supported by the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). According to Indian media, his candidacy was settled at a key meeting in New Delhi last week attended by senior BJP leaders. The meeting took place at the residence of Home Minister Amit Shah, father of International Cricket Council chairman Jay Shah.
Until recently, Manhas served as director of the cricket association in Indian-administered Kashmir. A dependable middle-order batsman, he scored 9,714 runs at an average of 45.82 across 157 first-class matches, yet never broke into the national side. Pundits often described him as unfortunate to have played in the same era as icons such as Sachin Tendulkar, Rahul Dravid, Sourav Ganguly and VVS Laxman.
Within the Delhi team, his career was further overshadowed by contemporaries Virender Sehwag and Gautam Gambhir, though Manhas frequently captained the side when those stars were on India duty. He also appeared in more than 50 Indian Premier League matches.
In administration, however, Manhas has earned widespread recognition, playing a pivotal role in developing grassroots cricket in Jammu and Kashmir.
