"Will do what's best…": Sourav Ganguly on re-election as Cricket Association of Bengal President

Kolkata (West Bengal) [India], September 23 (ANI): Former Indian captain and ex-Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) president Sourav Ganguly, who has been re-appointed as the president of the Cricket Association of Bengal (CAB), said he will continue to do what is best for cricket in the state and work to nurture and guide the abundant talent.

Ganguly was re-elected unopposed as CAB president on Monday, replacing his brother Snehasish Ganguly, who had been in the role for nearly three years. With no other candidates contesting the polls when Ganguly filed his nominations just over a week back, Ganguly became the president unopposed. Ganguly previously served as the CAB president from 2015 to 2019.

Speaking to ANI about being re-elected, Ganguly said, “I have worked as a President for 5 years before this as well. We will do what is best. There is an immense craze for cricket in India. There is a lot of talent. It will be our work to give direction to this talent.”

After completing his earlier tenure with CAB, Ganguly took charge as the BCCI president in 2019 and held the position until 2022, after which he was succeeded by Roger Binny.

Earlier this year, Ganguly was also reappointed as the chair of the ICC Men’s Cricket Committee. He first assumed the position in 2021.

Also, on India’s win over Pakistan during the ongoing Asia Cup Super Four stage, where fiery knocks from Abhishek Sharma (74) and vice-captain Shubman Gill (47) helped India chase down a competitive 172 set by Pakistan, Ganguly said, “India is a very good team. We have a good chance to win (Asia Cup). I hope we will play well.”

He also congratulated former Delhi stalwart Mithun Manhas on filing his nomination for the BCCI president post, saying, “I congratulate him as it is a very big post. Being the President of the richest and most skilled board, the cricketers who play for India are an unbelievable talent. It is a huge responsibility to manage and guide them. I hope he will work really well along with his team.”

Manhas is currently the sole candidate for the top post, which has been vacant since Roger Binny stepped down in August. BCCI vice-president Rajeev Shukla has been serving as interim president in the meantime, according to ESPNcricinfo.

Another former cricketer is also expected to join the board’s top brass, with ex-India spinner Raghuram Bhat likely to be appointed as treasurer. Bhat currently heads the Karnataka State Cricket Association.

Manhas, who turns 46 next month, has been closely involved in cricket administration. He is part of the BCCI-appointed sub-committee that oversees the Jammu & Kashmir Cricket Association. Born in Jammu, he shifted from Delhi to Jammu & Kashmir in 2015 before retiring the following year. Post-retirement, he has served in several coaching roles, including with Indian Premier League (IPL) teams Royal Challengers Bengaluru, Punjab Kings, and Gujarat Titans and also worked as batting consultant with Bangladesh Under-19.

An accomplished domestic cricketer, Manhas featured in 157 first-class matches between 1997 and 2017, amassing 9714 runs. He also played 130 List A games (4126 runs) and 91 T20s (1170 runs), making him one of the most prolific batters in India’s domestic circuit.

Manhas’ name came during an informal meeting in Delhi on Saturday, which was attended by several key figures, including ICC chairman Jay Shah, Rajeev Shukla, BCCI secretary Devajit Saikia, Delhi and Districts Cricket Association (DDCA) president Rohan Jaitley and former board secretary Niranjan Shah, as per ESPNcricinfo.

The elections for various BCCI office-bearer positions will be held during the annual general meeting in Mumbai on September 28. However, unless new nominations are submitted, the names discussed at the Delhi meeting are expected to be final.

Devajit Saikia is likely to continue as BCCI secretary, while Shukla will remain vice-president. Current treasurer Prabhtej Bhatia is expected to be appointed joint secretary, replacing Rohan Desai. Former Saurashtra captain Jaydev Shah is likely to join the Apex Council, succeeding Mizoram’s Khairul Jamal Majumdar, who is expected to move to the IPL Governing Council. (ANI)

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