How Manhas emerged as frontrunner for BCCI top job

Former Delhi captain Mithun Manhas has emerged as the frontrunner to take over as the new BCCI president even as some seasoned Board administrators and key decision makers held a rather informal meeting, in New Delhi, on Saturday.

The meeting was held to finalise the candidates for the vacant posts in the Board ahead of the annual general meeting on September 28.

PTI has learnt that those who were in contention for the posts have been summoned for the meeting, with Manhas and the Karnataka State Cricket Association (KSCA) president Raghuram Bhatt among them.

But it has now emerged that the top post could go to Manhas, who was also involved as director of cricket operations with the Jammu and Kashmir Cricket Association (JKCA).

Manhas never made it to the India team, but played 157 first-class matches amassing 9714 runs averaging over 45 with 27 hundreds.

He has also played 130 List A and 91 T20 matches for Delhi, besides appearing in the IPL for Chennai Super Kings, erstwhile Delhi Daredevils and the now-defunct Pune Warriors.

Former India spinner Bhatt, whose tenure as KSCA president will end on September 30, could be drafted into one of the vacant positions.

As

things stand now, Bhatt might not stand again in the KSCA election which could happen in October or November.

However, former India spinner Harbhajan Singh, who has been nominated as Punjab Cricket Association's representative for the AGM, was not a part of Saturday's meeting.

It was not immediately clear as to whether former India skipper Sourav Ganguly, who is representing Cricket Association of Bengal in the AGM, attended the meeting in the national capital.

Former India stumper Kiran More too could be in the fray for one of the posts as the ruling BJP is quite keen to have sportspersons in key slots, even though the political party rarely involves itself actively in the affairs of a sports body.

Currently, the BCCI is looking to appoint a successor to president Roger Binny and a new IPL chairman as incumbent Arun Dhumal is likely to go for a mandatory cool-off period after completing a cumulative period of six years.

Meanwhile, it has been decided that Pragyan Ojha will replace S Sharath in the national senior men's selection committee headed by Ajit Agarkar.

Sharath will replace V S Thilak Naidu as the junior selection committee chairman.

Former India pacer RP Singh will come in for Subroto Banerjee, and the new members will take over from September 28.

Therefore, the current selection panel will pick the Indian team for the two-match home Test series against the West Indies beginning on October 2.