Jay Shah appoints Sanjog Gupta to ICC leadership in bold move as India extends global influence

The International Cricket Council (ICC) has on Monday, July 7, named Sanjog Gupta as its new Chief Executive Officer (CEO). This is a historic appointment, as Sanjog Gupta becomes the first Indian media executive to take charge as the ICC CEO.

Gupta, who previously served as Head of Sports at Disney Star, will officially begin his tenure as the new International Cricket Council CEO on July 7. He has become the seventh ICC CEO and takes over from Geoff Allardice, who had joined the sports governing body in 2012 as General Manager of Cricket after serving as Cricket Operations Manager at Cricket Australia.

His appointment comes at a crucial time, as the ICC plans to expand cricket’s reach worldwide and strengthen its presence in the Olympics. The International Cricket Council revealed that Gupta was selected as the new CEO after a global search that saw over 2,500 applicants from 25 countries.

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Jay Shah announces Sanjog Gupta's appointment as the new ICC CEO

They have shortlisted 12 candidates across the world for the role, and the list was carefully reviewed by the Nominations Committee, headed by the ICC deputy chairman, Imran Khwaja. Gupta’s name was unanimously recommended and approved by ICC Chairman Jay Shah.

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Jay Shah welcomed Sanjog Gupta on the board, saying his “deep understanding of the global sports and media landscape” and “curiosity about the cricket fan’s perspective” made him the unanimous candidate to replace Geoff Allardice as the CEO of the governing body.

The ICC chairman, Jay Shah, said in an official statement, “I am pleased to announce that Sanjog Gupta has been appointed as the CEO of the ICC. Sanjog brings extensive experience in sports strategy and commercialization, which will be invaluable for the ICC.

We considered several exceptional candidates for this position, but the Nominations Committee unanimously recommended Sanjog. The ICC Board of Directors looks forward to working closely with him, and I would like to welcome him on behalf of everyone at the ICC.”

Who is Sanjog Gupta?

Meanwhile, Sanjog Gupta has had an impressive journey in the sports media and brings with him a decade of experience, creativity, and a deep understanding of what modern fans want. He started his career at Star India in 2010, working in content and strategy.

With time, Gupta rose through the ranks, and by 2020, he was leading Star’s sports business. His leadership grew even stronger after the Viacom18-Disney merger in 2024, when he was named CEO of Sports and Live Experiences at JioStar. In this role, Gupta oversaw some of the biggest sports events, including the IPL, ICC tournaments, Pro Kabaddi, Wimbledon, and the English Premier League.

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Over the past 10 years, Gupta has been known for transforming the way Indian audiences watch sports. He introduced multi-language coverage, focused on digital-first strategies, and brought more attention to women’s sports. He also helped grow the commercial value of leagues like the IPL and Indian Super League (ISL), turning them into powerful global brands.

Sanjog Gupta expresses honour to work with ICC

After being named the new ICC CEO, Sanjog Gupta said that it is a great privilege to take on this role, especially when cricket is growing like never before, with nearly 2 billion fans around the world. He said the sport is entering an exciting phase, with bigger events, more commercial opportunities, and a rising interest in women’s cricket.

The new CEO also noted that he is looking forward to contributing to the next phase of cricket’s evolution, expanding its global footprint, enhancing the fan experience, and working closely with ICC Member Boards to build on their strong foundations.

Gupta said in the ICC release, “These are exciting times for the sport as marquee events grow in stature, commercial avenues widen, and opportunities such as the women’s game scale in popularity. Cricket’s inclusion in the Los Angeles 2028 Olympic Games and the rapid acceleration of technology deployment/adoption could act as force multipliers for the Cricket movement around the world.”