Power talks in Delhi over next BCCI president

September 28 may be the big day for Indian cricket, when the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) will elect its next set of office-bearers, including the president, but it may not exactly be the D-day for finalising the candidate. Cricbuzz can reveal that a meeting of the top BCCI bosses with ruling BJP members has been scheduled in Delhi on September 20.

The meeting, informal as it may be in nature, will take place at the residence of Home Minister Amit Shah, where the final contours of the next BCCI leadership are expected to emerge. It was at a similar meeting in 2022 when former president N Srinivasan had famously lashed out at then BCCI chief Sourav Ganguly over his performance in the preceding three years. Ganguly could have continued for another term but the meeting eventually chose Roger Binny for the position.

Whether Ganguly will be invited to that meeting again can only be a matter of conjecture, but speculation continues to link him to the top post, along with his one-time teammate Harbhajan Singh. There has also been some talk about Karnataka's Raghuram Bhatt, the former India Test cricketer. Some chatter is also around Kiran More, the former India wicketkeeper.

The talk about More may sound unfounded at this stage as his name does not feature in the list of state associations representatives who can contest in the election but that is not exactly the case. There is a provision to alter the list.

As per September 6 notification of BCCI electoral officer AK Joti, the final date for the "Examination of Objections and Decisions Thereon (ii) Release of Final Electoral Roll" is September 19. Which means, the state associations can change their nominees to the AGM within the next 24 hours.

Ganguly, Harbhajan, Bhatt, More or perhaps a surprise name - the decision is expected to be made on Saturday night in Delhi. The ruling BJP is not known to directly intervene in the day to day affairs of sports bodies, but it has a known policy of ensuring that accomplished athletes head national sports bodies.

Selectors interview underway

Meanwhile, the BCCI is conducting interviews for the new national selectors on Thursday (September 18). The Cricket Advisory Committee (CAC) with Ashok Malhotra and Jatin Paranjpe as members, are holding the interviews online. Sulakshana Naik, the third member of the CAC, is no longer part of it and the BCCI may have to appoint a new member to the body.

The CAC will pick seven candidates in all - two members for the Ajit Agarkar-led men's national selection committee, one for the national junior committee and four for the national women's committee. The new selectors will take charge after the September 28 AGM.