'Mr Bindra stressed the importance of marketing the game which helped Indian cricket massively. Not only have state associations become self sufficient but the cricketers have also benefitted greatly.'
Inderjit Singh Bindra, who passed away on January 25, 2026, was regarded as a true doyen among India's cricket administrators.
It was during Bindra's tenure as president of the Board of Control for Cricket in India between 1993 and 1996 that the fortunes of Indian cricket saw a massive transformation.
He was also a long-serving president of the Punjab Cricket Association for nearly four decades -- from 1978 to 2014 -- and is credited for bringing cricket to the forefront in Punjab by focussing on infrastructure development and grassroots cricket, which helped many players from the state break through into the Indian team.
Bindra is credited with playing a key role in bringing the 1987 ICC World Cup to the subcontinent -- the first time the tournament was held outside England -- and later helped the BCCI secure the rights for the 1996 World Cup, which resulted in cricket gaining huge followership across the country.
It was his foresight and bold leadership which helped BCCI unlock the full value of television broadcast rights, paving the way for the BCCI to earn millions of dollars through the sale of media rights of cricket matches.
M P Pandove, a long-time colleague at both the BCCI and PCA, fondly remembers his association with Bindra, hailing his vision and leadership.
"I have known Mr Bindra for a very long time, since he was the deputy commissioner in Patiala," Pandove told Rediff's Harish Kotian. "We were together in Patiala. It was then that we realised his potential and urged him to join the Patiala Cricket Association.
"When he became president of the Patiala Cricket Association for the first time, he did an excellent job and we realised that he could be a good administrator not only for Punjab cricket but also take Indian cricket to great heights.
"So our committee requested him to go to the Punjab Cricket Association as vice-president of the Patiala Cricket Association and from that point onwards he continued to rise in Indian cricket."
Pandove, 80, credits Bindra for having the foresight to develop cricketing infrastructure in Punjab during his long tenure as PCA president.
"He was responsible for developing cricket in Punjab and taking it to the next level. Before Mr Bindra stepped into cricket administration in Punjab, we didn't have many resources nor the required infrastructure. The office bearers in the Punjab Cricket Association were working within their limits, they were doing their best, but Mr Bindra changed all that."
"He completely transformed Punjab cricket, he was a great marketing man, he was a great cricket enthusiast, he developed the infrastructure here."
"It is because of him that not only in the Punjab Cricket Association but also in the BCCI so many new developments started. He stressed the importance of marketing the game which has helped Indian Indian cricket massively. Not only have the state associations become self sufficient but the cricketers have also benefitted greatly. He was a milestone man of Indian cricket."
Pandove also hailed Bindra's move to end Prasar Bharti's monopoly over broadcast rights of cricket in India -- a landmark court judgment which ruled that cricket matches played in India were the sole property of BCCI.
"He was the one who brought money into Indian cricket. He was the first to realise that the international cricket matches were property of the Board, therefore the BCCI can sell it and market it the way it wants. There was a tug of war with the national broadcaster but ultimately BCCI won because of Mr Bindra along with Mr Jagmohan Dalmiya."
Bindra was also integral in the launch of the Indian Premier League in 2008, which has gone on to become one of the big earners for Indian cricket.
"The IPL was also an off-spring of the marketing efforts by Mr Bindra. They introduced the T20 version in India and it opened cricket to other markets which resulted in huge revenue for the Board."
"He was a dedicated administrator, he truly loved the game and did his best to develop cricket in India. He was very intelligent, he could plan for the future of the game, plan new avenues to bring in revenue and that was a big boost for the game.
"We combined very well, he had a great vision about marketing cricket and I used to give inputs from the cricketing side of things."
Another seasoned BCCI administrator Professor Ratnakar Shetty hailed Bindra's impact in changing the fortunes of Indian cricket.
'One of the top cricket administrators that the BCCI was lucky to have. Bindraji and Dalmiyaji were responsible for the strong ties between the cricket boards of the ACC (Asian Cricket Council) when it was formed. He played a major role in the successful staging of the Cricket World Cup in the sub continent in 1987 and 1996, particularly the close coordination of the host countries. The entire documentation for CWC 2011 was led by Bindraji,' Professor Shetty said in a statement.
'I was fortunate to have worked with Bindraji for a number of years. He guided Mr Sharad Pawar as the ICC chairman being appointed as the dvisor by the ICC. He also contributed a lot in the launch of the IPL in 2008 and guiding Lalit Modi.'