Who will become next BCCI president? Sourav Ganguly, Harbhajan Singh in fray

A number of big names, including former India captain Sourav Ganguly are in the fray to become the new president of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI). The race for the next BCCI president is set to intensify in the coming days as September 20, 21 is the deadline to file the nominations for the top post.

Ganguly, who headed the Indian cricket board for three years from 2019 to 2022, is in contention along with his former India teammate Harbhajan Singh and several other prominent administrators. Speculation has been rife over who will replace interim head Rajeev Shukla as the new BCCI head, however, no decision has been made yet.

As per a report in Cricbuzz, likely, a former player will once again be elected to the top post, and the BJP, the ruling party, will have a major say in the formation of the next set of BCCI's office-bearers. Consultations regarding who should be the next BCCI president will soon begin with the appropriate authorities in the BJP-led central government.

As per the report, the general belief is that a former international player will be selected for the top post. Among the candidates who have been nominated by their respective state units to contest the election, there are only three former internationals. Ganguly, who will represent the Cricket Association of Bengal, Harbhajan (Punjab) and Raghuram Bhatt (Karnataka) are the three former internationals in fray.

There are some domestic stalwarts also in contention, however, they are unlikely to be selected for the top post. The BJP is likely to have a big say in the selection of the new BCCI president, and the trend of former players heading sporting bodies is likely to continue. In 2019, former India captain Ganguly was elected as BCCI president and was replaced by 1983 World Cup winner Roger Binny in 2022.

Ganguly recently took over as the new president of the Cricket Association of Bengal (CAB), replacing his elder brother Snehashish Ganguly. He was elected unopposed, which also enabled him to attend BCCI's upcoming AGM as the representative of CAB, and contest for the board president's post. Both Ganguly and Harbhajan are prominent names in Indian cricket, while Raghuram Bhatt (67) played two Tests for India in 1983.

Current interim president, Rajeev Shukla, is also a contender to become the new permanent chief of the BCCI. Shukla is an experienced cricket administrator who has held multiple posts in the BCCI over the last few years. He was elected as the vice-president of the board, unopposed in 2020, and took over as intermind president after Roger Binny's retirement earlier this year.