Mithun Manhas storms into pole position for BCCI president in shock twist after marathon talks rock New Delhi

The shock twist emerged after BCCI's seasoned administrators and key decision makers held an elaborate meeting in New Delhi on Saturday.

In a shock twist, former Delhi captain Mithun Manhas has stormed into the pole position for the role of BCCI president after seasoned administrators and key decision makers held an elaborate meeting in New Delhi on Saturday. The meeting was held to narrow in on the candidates for all the cant spots in the Indian board ahead of the annual general meeting on September 28.

Mithun Manhas tipped as front-runner for BCCI president

According to a report in the PTI, those in contention for the various spots have been summoned for the meeting, including Manhas and the Karnataka State Cricket Association (KSCA) president Raghuram Bhatt. However, it is the former who is the frontrunner to take over as the new BCCI president.

Although Manhas has never played in the Indian team, he has appeared in 157 first-class matches, scoring 9714 runs at 45, with 27 hundreds, and played 130 List A and 91 T20 matches for Delhi, besides appearing in the Indian Premier League (IPL) for Chennai Super Kings, erstwhile Delhi Daredevils and the now-defunct Pune Warriors. He was also involved as director of cricket operations with the Jammu and Kashmir Cricket Association (JKCA).

Bhatt, on the other hand, a former India spin bowler, whose current stint in the KSCA will end on September 30, is set to be named for one of the vacant spots in the BCCI. As things stand now, Bhatt might not stand again in the KSCA election, which could happen in October or November.

The news agency could not confirm whether former BCCI president Sourav Ganguly, who will be representing the Cricket Association of Bengal in the AGM, was part of the meeting, but was certain that former India spinner Harbhajan Singh, who has been nominated as the Punjab Cricket Association’s representative for the AGM, was not present on Saturday.

The report also added that former India wicketkeeper Kiran More is in line for one of the vacant spots in the Indian board. The ruling political party, the BJP, is keen on having more sportspersons in key positions in the BCCI. 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 is all but confirmed that former India bowler Pragyan Ojha will replace S Sharath in the Ajit Agarkar-led selection committee, and ex-India pacer RP Singh will come in for Subroto Banerjee. The new selectors will assume their role on September 28, and hence will have the upcoming West Indies Test series at home as their first assignment.