Power vs Progress: As ICC chair, Jay Shah must balance BCCI dominance with the sport’s global growth
Shah, the son of Home Minister Amit Shah, was elected unopposed as the chair of the International Cricket Council.
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This article originally appeared in The Field’s newsletter, Game Points, on September 4, 2024. Sign up here to get the newsletter directly delivered to your inbox every week.
For the third time in five years, a cricket governing body has firmly endorsed Jay Shah as its leader. Following the backing of the Board of Control for Cricket in India and the Asian Cricket Council, the International Cricket Council has now followed suit.
The 35-year-old Shah is set to replace Greg Barclay as the new ICC Chairman, solidifying his position as the “kingpin” in the cricketing world.
Shah’s rise is closely tied to his lineage. As the son of arguably the second-most powerful man in India, Home Minister Amit Shah, the obsequiousness displayed in India to Jay Shah is hardly surprising.
While Mumbai, Chennai, and Bangalore were once seen as the traditional cricketing hubs, Ahmedabad – home to the Shahs and Prime Minister Narendra Modi – has now become the epicenter of Indian cricket. It’s clear that few dare cross the Shahs.
One might expect a challenge to the Bharatiya Janata Party’s dominance within the BCCI, especially from someone affiliated with the Congress party. However, even BCCI vice-president Rajeev Shukla, a Congress member, dismissed any suggestion that Shah’s rise in cricket administration is due to...
