Following his appointment as the president of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), former Delhi cricket stalwart Mithun Manhas said that the responsibility is huge and he is committed to doing it to the best of his abilities, with dedication and passion.
Manhas was on Sunday elected as the new president of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), A Raghuram Bhat as a new treasurer, and former bowlers RP Singh and Pragyan Ojha have joined the men's selection committee of the board. The decisions were a few of many made during the 94th Annual General Meeting of BCCI, which was held on Sunday in Mumbai. Devajit Saikia was chosen to continue his stint as the secretary, while Prabhtej Bhjatia will now be the organisation's joint secretary, as per a press release from BCCI. Rajeev Shukla will also continue as BCCI's vice-president.
Speaking to the media after his appointment, Manhas said, "It is a huge responsibility and I give my assurance that I will be committed to do it to the best of my abilities, dedication and passion... It is the best board in the world. We have the best players, best facilities, and we have the support of millions of people behind us... The only agenda is development and to take BCCI and Indian Cricket forward."
Manhas, who turns 46 next month, has been closely involved in cricket administration. He is part of the BCCI-appointed sub-committee that oversees the Jammu & Kashmir Cricket Association. Born in Jammu, he shifted from Delhi to Jammu & Kashmir in 2015 before retiring the following year. Post-retirement, he has served in several coaching roles, including with Indian Premier League (IPL) teams Royal Challengers Bengaluru, Punjab Kings, and Gujarat Titans and also worked as a batting consultant for the Bangladesh Under-19.
An accomplished domestic cricketer, Manhas featured in 157 first-class matches between 1997 and 2017, amassing 9714 runs. He also played 130 List A games (4,126 runs) and 91 T20s (1,170 runs), making him one of the most prolific batters in India's domestic cricket circuit.
BCCI secretary Saikia also said, "During our 94th AGM, the agenda was the elections of the Apex Council. All the candidates who had filed their nominations have been elected unopposed. Mithun Manhas is the new President... Ajit Agarkar will be the Chairman of the Men's Selection Committee. RP Singh and Pragyan Ojha have been added to the selection committee... The Women's Selection Committee has also been formed..."
BCCI vice-president Rajeev Shukla also spoke on how domestic cricketers have seen a rise in their pay and scale over the years to an unprecedented level.
"We are continuously expanding domestic cricket. In the last three to four years, you've seen what we have done in domestic cricket. First, the pay parity, the amount of money players receive, has been increased. If someone plays fourteen Ranji matches, they will receive approximately one crore rupees. Never before has so much money been allocated to domestic cricket as we are currently providing. Beyond that, we are striving to provide players with other facilities and opportunities in all of our various formats," he said.
Shukla also outlined a rule for under-19 and under-16 players to participate in the Indian Premier League, stating, "They must play at least one first-class game to get a chance in the IPL."