Rohan Jaitley, Ashish Shelar, and Anil Patel in race to succeed Jay Shah as BCCI Secretary

The 93rd Annual General Meeting (AGM) of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) in Bengaluru on Sunday, September 29, highlighted the urgency for a smooth leadership transition as the outgoing secretary Jay Shah prepares to step down from his position.

Shah is expected to take over as the chairman of the ICC on December 1, which has sparked discussions among members about his successor as the BCCI secretary, despite this topic officially not being on the agenda at the Annual General Meeting (AGM) on Sunday.

BCCI members stress the urgency of finding Jay Shah’s successor at the AGM

Members present at the AGM made it clear to the outgoing BCCI secretary that they needed quick processes to find out his successor. It is being said that they requested Shah to speed up the process of finding his successor to make the transition as smooth as possible.

According to PTI, Rohan Jaitley, President of the Delhi and District Cricket Association (DDCA), along with BCCI treasurer Ashish Shelar, joint-secretary Devajit Saikia, and Gujarat Cricket Association (GCA) secretary Anil Patel, are emerging as potential candidates to fill Shah’s influential role.

A state association representative who attended the AGM told PTI: “It was a normal request to keep all due processes in place at the earliest as [then] there will be clarity for us.”

Notably, Patel served as the manager for the Indian cricket team during the 2023 World Test Championship final against Australia. He has also held the managerial role for various tours with the Indian team in the past and has managed the Indian U-19 team as well.

Another influential name is Shelar, who is also the president of the BJP wing in Mumbai apart from being the treasurer at BCCI. On the other hand, Rohan, son of former Union Minister and BCCI vice president, Arun Jaitley, remained tight-lipped on his candidacy for the BCCI secretary role.

BCCI approves budget for 2024-25 season; AGM assigns task to recommend candidates for key ICC roles

Meanwhile, the primary focus of the AGM revolved around nominating India's representatives for the ICC meetings. Currently, Shah serves as the BCCI's representative on the ICC Board, with IPL chairman Arun Dhumal holding a similar position in the Chief Executives' Committee.

The AGM tasked the general body members with recommending two candidates for these crucial roles without delay. Furthermore, Arun Dhumal and Avishek Dalmiya were elected as general body representatives to the IPL Governing Council. Dhumal is set to continue as the IPL chairman at least until IPL 2025.

On the other hand, the Indian Cricketers Association (ICA) nominated former Andhra cricketer V Chamundeswarnath as a player representative and a new addition to the IPL GC. The AGM also approved the annual budget for the 2024–25 season as well as confirmed the unanimous decision to retain BCCI's legal status as a society.

Notably, all members agreed that BCCI tournaments, including the IPL, would not be converted into a company, reflecting a commitment to maintaining the organization's integrity. This matter was originally not on the agenda of the AGM.

The BCCI said in a statement, “The members further resolved that the tournaments of the BCCI, including the IPL, shall not be converted into a company.”