Jay Shah’s ICC move triggers search for successor, 3 high-profile names emerge for BCCI Secretary role

Renowned cricket administrator Jay Shah is close to becoming the new chairman of the International Cricket Council (ICC). Currently, Shah is the secretary of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI).

Howver, if he chooses to join the ICC, his post as the BCCI secretary will be vacant. It is believed that he has the backing of 15 out of 16 members of the ICC board and his appointment as the ICC chairman will be a mere formality if he himself decides to contest the elections.

Out of 16, a candidate requires 9 votes to win the elections. However, it is not yet clear whether Jay Shah will make the move. He has less than four days to make a decision. Meanwhile, Shah still has one year left in his current tenure as BCCI secretary. This is his second consecutive term in this role.

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Candidates for the BCCI secretary post if Jay Shah decides to join the ICC

The role of a BCCI secretary is a time-consuming job. Jay Shah himself was involved a lot in this job and brought out several reforms in the board. Shah's tenure as BCCI secretary has been impressive and it remains to be seen whether the upcoming candidates can match him.

One person who can replace Jay Shah in this role is Arun Dhumal, who is currently the chairman of the Indian Premier League (IPL). Dhumal has a good amount of experience in running the board and has served as a treasurer.

Another candidate for this role is BCCI's current vice-president Rajeev Shukla. Shukla has been associated with Indian cricket for a long time. He has also served as India's team manager during various foreign tours. Shukla is also a Congress politician and has been associated with the BCCI in various roles.

The third candidate who can fit the role of BCCI secretary could be Ashish Shelar. Ashish Shelar is the current BCCI treasurer and a big name in the MCA. He is a politician of the BJP. However, the post of BCCI secretary is a hectic job and can require a lot of time.

Apart from these candidates, another name running for the role is Devajit Saikia, who is a former first-class cricketer from Assam. Saikia is currently the joint secretary of the BCCI. If we go through the process, Saikia should be the one who should be elevated to the role of BCCI secretary. But given that it's such a key post, Saikia's chances seem quite less.

Will there be a surprise pick in the post of BCCI's secretary?

“Obviously, it can happen as there are no hard and fast rules. But if you look at BCCI’s power structure, president, secretary and treasurer are three key posts,” a former BCCI secretary was quoted as saying by PTI.

“There are people who have been in the system and someone just coming and bypassing them normally doesn’t happen. But first, is Jay ready to go to the ICC? Even if he doesn’t go now, he can go anytime,” the source added.

It still remains to be seen whether Jay Shah opts to go for the Chairman's position at the ICC or not. Currently, Greg Barclay holds that position whose tenure will end by the end of November this year. Barclay has already indicated that he won't be contesting the elections again which makes the path smoother for Jay Shah.