Jay Shah's BCCI seat to be filled by..
Published - 20 Dec 2024, 10:50 AM | Updated - 20 Dec 2024, 10:54 AM
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The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) is all set to conduct a Special General Meeting (SGM) in January 2025 to elect two new office-bearers. BCCI will have to fill in the two top positions after the resignations of Jay Shah as secretary and Ashish Shelar as treasurer of the board.
The Special General Meeting (SGM) is likely to be held in Mumbai during the second week of January, with the new BCCI secretary and treasurer expected to be made during this meeting. SGM being done was made during an urgent Apex Council meeting conducted virtually on Thursday (December 19) evening.
Vacant top roles in BCCI set to be filled in Special General Meeting in Mumbai
The urgency of the situation led to the notices for the meeting being issued just one day before the meeting on Wednesday (December 18). During the urgent meeting, the Apex Council approved the decision to call for the SGM and suggested the current BCCI office-bearers finalize the exact date and venue for the meeting.
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These details are expected to be confirmed by Friday, December 20. According to the rules, a notice period of at least 21 days is mandatory to hold the SGM, making January 11 or 12 the most probable dates for the all-important board meeting. A Cricbuzz report claimed that January 12 is the preferred date for this SGM.
Notably, Jay Shah stepped down as BCCI secretary on November 30 to take on a new role as the independent chair of the International Cricket Council (ICC). To manage the situation temporarily, BCCI president Roger Binny used his special powers under the board's constitution to assign the secretary's responsibilities to joint secretary Devjit Saikia.
Jay Shah and Ashish Shelar's replacement set to be finalized in January
Later, the BCCI treasurer, Ashish Shelar, also resigned after being appointed to the Maharashtra government under Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on December 15. According to the BCCI constitution, anyone serving as a minister is not eligible to hold an office-bearer's position on the board, which led to Ashish Shelar’s resignation as the treasurer.
However, as of Thursday, December 19, BCCI president Roger Binny has not made any interim arrangement for handling the treasurer's role following Ashish Shelar’s exit. According to the BCCI constitution, any vacant office-bearer position must be filled within 45 days.
This means the BCCI needs to appoint a new secretary by January 15, 2025, and the proposed date for the Special General Meeting (SGM) falls well within this timeframe, which is perfect for the board to meet its constitutional obligation and announce Jay Shah’s replacement.
India vs Pakistan matches to be played at neutral venue
Notably, the Indian cricket board was forced to accept Pakistan’s demand under the Jay Shah-led governing body over the ICC Champions Trophy 2025 dispute. As the Champions Trophy 2025 will be played under a hybrid model, all India vs. Pakistan cricket matches in ICC events, hosted by the two countries, will be played at neutral venues till 2027.
The ICC said in a statement: “India and Pakistan matches hosted by either country at ICC Events during the 2024-2027 rights cycle will be played at a neutral venue, the ICC Board confirmed on Thursday, 19 December. This will apply to the upcoming ICC Men's Champions Trophy 2025 (hosted by Pakistan), set to be played in February and March 2025, as well as the ICC Women's Cricket World Cup 2025 (hosted by India) and the ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2026 (hosted by India and Sri Lanka).”
