The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) on Sunday elected Devajit Saikia as its new Secretary, following the departure of Jay Shah, who became the chairman of the International Cricket Council (ICC). Saikia, a former player and advocate, was the only nominee for the position.
At 55 years old, Saikia succeeds Shah, and has been serving as interim secretary of the BCCI since Shah’s departure last month. In addition to Saikia’s appointment, businessman Prabhtej Singh Bhatia was named the new BCCI Treasurer.
Although relatively unknown to cricket fans due to his modest playing career, Saikia has strong ties to India’s ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), and has had a significant career in cricket administration. He initially served as the general secretary of a cricket club in Assam under Himanta Biswa Sarma, now Assam’s Chief Minister and a prominent BJP leader. Saikia later served as the advocate general for Assam under Sarma’s leadership.
Saikia’s playing career included brief stints as a wicketkeeper-batsman for Assam, with modest achievements in first-class cricket. He played four matches and scored just 53 runs. Despite his limited cricketing success, his administrative acumen and political connections have led to his rise within the BCCI.
