The speculation came true—an Indian will once again climb the ICC pedestal. Jay Shah, who has been the BCCI secretary for four years, was unanimously elected as the ICC chairman. He will take charge as ICC Chairman on December 1, becoming the youngest person (at 35 years) to hold this position. Shah has risen to high positions in a very short time.
He started his journey in the cricket administration department at a very young age, becoming a member of the Executive Board of the Central Board of Cricket (Ahmedabad) in 2009, at the age of just 21. Four years later, in 2013, he took up the post of Joint Secretary in the Gujarat Cricket Association, where he played a key role in the construction and renovation of various stadiums, including the Narendra Modi Stadium.
In 2015, Shah joined the BCCI and was selected as a member of the Finance and Marketing Committee. He continued as the Joint Secretary of the GCA for many years before resigning from that post in 2019. A month after his resignation, he was selected as the BCCI secretary. It’s remarkable that Shah is the youngest person to hold the post of BCCI secretary. Additionally, he was also elected as the President of the Asian Cricket Council (ACC) in 2021.
His term as BCCI secretary is set to end in 2025. He has achieved notable successes during his tenure, including securing the Indian Premier League (IPL) media rights deal in 2022. The IPL is recognized as the second most valuable sports league in the world in terms of value per match, with the National Football League (NFL) holding the top spot. Notably, organizing the IPL during the Covid pandemic and starting the Women’s Premier League tournament are considered to be the greatest achievements of Shah’s tenure as the BCCI Board Secretary.