Former Delhi captain Mithun Manhas may be elected unopposed as BCCI President during the annual general meeting

Mithun Manhas, former Delhi captain, is reportedly set to take on the role of President of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI). Several media outlets have indicated that he will be elected unopposed at the BCCI’s annual general meeting (AGM) on September 28. Although this announcement has caught many by surprise, a Times of India report has shed light on the decision-making process during a high-level meeting. The BCCI found itself in a challenging position, with no clear frontrunner emerging for the role.

The board was keen to follow the Supreme Court-appointed Lodha committee’s guidelines, which recommended that the BCCI president should be a former cricketer. As a result, the potential candidates included Raghuram Bhat, Harbhajan Singh, former India captain Sourav Ganguly, and Manhas.

Ultimately, BCCI secretary Devajit Saikia backed Manhas for the role, and the decision was finalised.

“It wasn’t a straightforward decision for the BCCI. All the technicalities were discussed around Manhas. Legal opinion was taken in this regard. The meeting went on until midnight. The board found a way around to have a cricketer as the president,” a BCCI source told TOI.

Manhas will become the first individual from Jammu and Kashmir to head the BCCI. After starting his career with Jammu and Kashmir’s U-16 team, Manhas moved to Delhi and will become the first uncapped cricketer to get the BCCI presidency.

Manhas had a distinguished first-class career, appearing in 157 matches and captaining prominent players Gautam Gambhir, Aakash Chopra, and Virender Sehwag during his time with Delhi. He also represented Delhi Daredevils, Chennai Super Kings, and Pune Warriors in the IPL.