ICC: Jay Shah takes over as new chairman with eye on ending CT impasse
Dubai (PTI): Indian cricket administrator Jay Shah on Sunday took charge as the chairman of the International Cricket Council (ICC) with an immediate goal of ending the impasse surrounding the Champions Trophy and a broader vision of making cricket a commercially viable Olympic sport.
The 36-year-old Shah, who headlined the BCCI as its secretary for the last five years, is the fifth Indian and the youngest ever to head the global cricket body.
He was the unanimous choice of the ICC's Board of Directors and replaced New Zealand attorney Greg Barclay, who didn't wish to continue for a third consecutive term.
Before Shah, businessman late Jagmohan Dalmiya, politician Sharad Pawar, lawyer Shashank Manohar and industrialist N Srinivasan have all headed the world cricket body.
Shah, the son of India's Home Minister Amit Shah, will have his task cut out as the ICC looks to find an acceptable solution to implement the 'Hybrid Model' for the Champions Trophy originally scheduled in Pakistan.
As of now, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has decided to accept the 'Hybrid Model' under which India play their matches in Dubai. But the PCB also wants the same courtesy to be accorded to Pakistan in all four ICC tournaments till 2031, which will be co-hosted or singularly hosted by the Indian cricket board.
Now, as the head of the global body and with less than 100 days left for the tournament to begin, Shah will have to co-ordinate with both the PCB and his former colleagues at the BCCI for an "acceptable solution" in order to organise a hassle-free tournament.
India have already refused to travel to Pakistan as it hasn't received clearance from its government.
Shah didn't make any comment on the Champions Trophy while outlining his priorities for his term which included leveraging the sport's inclusion in the Los Angeles 2028 Olympic Games as an opportunity and further accelerate the growth of the women's game.
"This is an exciting time for the sport as we prepare for the LA28 Olympic Games and work to make cricket more inclusive and engaging for fans worldwide," Shah said.
"We are at a critical juncture with the coexistence of multiple formats and the need to accelerate the growth of the women's game.
"Cricket holds immense potential globally, and I look forward to working closely with the ICC team and Member countries to seize these opportunities and take the sport to new heights."
Shah acknowledged Barclay's contributions to the ICC over the last four years.
"I would also like to thank Greg Barclay for his leadership in the role for the past four years and the milestones achieved during that period," he said.
"I look forward to working closely with the ICC team and the Member countries to expand the game's reach and evolution on the global stage."
Having started as an administrator at the district level in Gujarat Cricket Association when he was still a college student, Shah has worked his way up the ladder from state to national and now global level.
It was during his time that Gujarat became a domestic force by winning the Ranji Trophy for the first time and he has also been the man behind the world's largest cricket stadium in Ahmedabad's Motera.
During his tenure as BCCI secretary, the domestic match fees have increased manifold and he has been instrumental in starting Test cricket incentive bonus for national players with emphasis on white-ball game.
However, the two major milestones for him as BCCI secretary are the starting of Women's Premier League and having equal match fees for men and women's national team players.
His young age has allowed him to be more empathetic to current players but he has also been able to crack the whip when necessary, like making it mandatory for stars to play domestic cricket after Shreyas Iyer and Ishan Kishan lost their central contracts for giving more emphasis to IPL compared to Ranji Trophy.
He has overwhelming support in the ICC board room save one country and he wouldn't have a lot of problems in taking policy decisions.
India's representation at ICC
While it is still not clear who will be the next BCCI secretary, India could be represented at the ICC Board by either current president Roger Binny, or vice-president Rajiv Shukla.
In case Binny becomes the director from India, Shukla could be the alternate director. And if Shukla is elevated as India's representative, the co-representative could be Arun Dhumal, who is among the two to three names being discussed for the next secretary's post, treasurer Ashish Shelar and joint secretary Devajit Lon Saikia being the others.
Let the Truth be known. If you read VB and like VB, please be a VB Supporter and Help us deliver the Truth to one and all.
SIT suspects more gold lost from Sabarimala than recovered so far
Thiruvananthapuram (PTI): The Special Investigation Team (SIT) probing the Sabarimala gold loss case suspects that more gold was lost from the temple than what has been recovered so far from the prime accused.
The suspicion was stated in an application filed by the SIT before the Kollam Vigilance Court seeking custody of three accused — sponsor Unnikrishnan Potty, Smart Creations CEO Pankaj Bhandari and jeweller Govardhan Roddam.
In the petition, the SIT said copper plates clad with gold, with a total weight of 42.100 kg, were handed over to prime accused Potty for electroplating at Smart Creations in 2019.
After the plating process, the remaining gold was allegedly siphoned off by the accused.
According to the SIT, gold-clad copper plates, including those from the Dwarapalaka (guardian deity) idols, plates from two nearby pillars and seven plates from the Sreekovil (sanctum sanctorum), were removed and taken for replating.
The seven plates from the Sreekovil doorframes included two plates depicting the Dasavatar, two bearing rashi symbols, two plates on the upper portion of the doorframes, and one plate on the Prabha Mandalam above the doorframe, which had idols of Siva and Vyali sculpted on it, the application said.
In the custody application, the SIT said Bhandari confessed that around 109.243 grams of gold was taken by him as fees for replating.
On October 25, 2025, Bhandari produced 109.243 grams of gold before the SIT, claiming it was equivalent to what he had taken as fees in 2019.
The gold recovered during the plating process was handed over to Govardhan, the SIT said.
ALSO READ: Congress and NCP (SP) to contest separately in Nagpur civic polls
On October 24, 2025, Govardhan produced 474.960 grams of gold before the SIT, claiming it was equivalent to the quantity he received from Potty after electroplating.
However, the SIT said further investigation revealed that there was more gold in the gold-clad copper plates of the Dwarapalaka idols, pillars and Sreekovil doorframes than the quantity produced by Bhandari and Govardhan.
The SIT said the report of scientific analysis of samples of plated gold on copper plates sent to the Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre (VSSC), Thiruvananthapuram, is awaited.
So far, the SIT has arrested 10 people, including two former presidents of the Travancore Devaswom Board (TDB) who were associated with the CPI(M). The SIT, appointed by the Kerala High Court, has been given a deadline to complete the investigation by this month.
Meanwhile, a political row erupted after reports emerged about the SIT’s reported move to interrogate UDF convenor Adoor Prakash.
The reports claimed that Prakash would be questioned following the emergence of a recent photograph of Potty standing with Sonia Gandhi.
Leader of Opposition V D Satheesan on Thursday said the High Court should re-examine the decision to appoint two new officers to the SIT, alleging that the appointments were made with the knowledge of two senior IPS officers and a senior Crime Branch official who is a staunch CPI(M) supporter.
“These officers were appointed to leak information from the SIT. Hardcore CPI(M)-leaning officials are acting under pressure from the Chief Minister’s Office,” he alleged, adding that the court-appointed SIT was not being allowed to function independently.
Satheesan said information about Prakash being interrogated was leaked, while the questioning of CPI(M) leader Kadakampally Surendran last week was kept secret.
He said Prakash would cooperate if the police called him for evidence or statements, but alleged that attempts were being made to "balance" the case, as CPI(M) leaders were responsible for the "gold theft."
Similarly, Prakash said he came to know about the SIT’s plan to interrogate him through media reports.
He alleged that the Chief Minister’s political secretary P Sasi was behind the recent developments involving him.
“I am ready to appear before the SIT whenever required. I will request the presence of the media if they call me for interrogation. Otherwise, I will reveal all the details that I convey to the SIT,” he said.
Meanwhile, the Chief Minister’s Office issued a statement refuting Prakash’s claims.
It said the SIT was constituted by the Kerala High Court and the probe is being conducted under the supervision of a Division Bench of the court, with a strict directive that investigation details should not be disclosed outside.
Neither the Chief Minister’s Office nor the political secretary has any role or involvement in the matter, the statement said, adding that the allegation made by the MP was completely baseless and false.
On the other hand, CPI(M) leaders alleged that Satheesan questioned the credibility of the SIT after learning that Prakash would be interrogated.
“It is unfortunate that Satheesan has changed his version and is now blaming the SIT when it is going to interrogate Prakash. They see that the Sabarimala gold issue is now coming towards them and are taking measures to prevent it,” CPI(M) state secretary M V Govindan said.
He said the people of Kerala know the truth and the LDF government has not protected any accused in the case.
“We continue to maintain that no one will be protected and those behind the loss of gold from Sabarimala will be punished. It is the UDF that is changing its stance,” he said.
