Who is Mithun Manhas, ex-Delhi cricketer tipped to be next BCCI president?

Former Delhi captain Mithun Manhas has emerged as the frontrunner to take over as the next president of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI). With the board’s annual general meeting (AGM) scheduled for September 28, discussions among senior administrators over the weekend point to Manhas’s surprise rise as the likely choice for the top post.

The 45-year-old, though never capped for India, was a domestic cricket stalwart. He played 157 first-class matches, scoring 9,714 runs at an average of over 45, including 27 centuries. Beyond Delhi, Manhas also featured in 130 List A and 91 T20 matches, and had IPL stints with Chennai Super Kings, Delhi Daredevils (now Capitals), and Pune Warriors. In recent years, he has served as director of cricket operations for the Jammu and Kashmir Cricket Association (JKCA).

At Saturday’s meeting, Karnataka State Cricket Association (KSCA) president and former India spinner Raghuram Bhatt was also discussed as a contender for senior BCCI positions. However, indications suggest the presidency is set to go to Manhas. Bhatt’s tenure as KSCA chief ends on September 30, and he is unlikely to contest the upcoming state association elections.

Other names floated include former India stumper Kiran More, while ex-spinner Harbhajan Singh, Punjab Cricket Association’s representative for the AGM, was not part of the meeting. It is unclear whether former captain Sourav Ganguly, attending as Cricket Association of Bengal’s representative, was present.

The AGM will also decide successors for president Roger Binny and IPL chairman Arun Dhumal, the latter stepping aside due to a mandatory cooling-off period after completing six years in office.

Meanwhile, changes are set in the national selection committees. Former India spinner Pragyan Ojha will replace S Sharath in the men’s senior selection panel led by Ajit Agarkar. Sharath is expected to head the junior committee, while RP Singh will come in for Subroto Banerjee. The reshuffled committees will formally take charge on September 28, after which they will pick India’s squad for the upcoming two-Test home series against the West Indies starting October 2.