On Sunday, India’s influential and wealthy Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) elected former player and lawyer Devajit Saikia as its new secretary, the only candidate nominated for the role.
The BCCI announced the appointment in a statement, declaring, “Devajit Saikia is duly elected as the Secretary of BCCI.”
Saikia, 55, takes over from Jay Shah, who left the position after being appointed the chairman of the International Cricket Council (ICC), the sport’s global governing body.
In addition, businessman and cricket administrator Prabhtej Singh Bhatia was named the new BCCI treasurer.
Shah’s move to the ICC last month triggered Saikia’s election, with Saikia already serving as the interim secretary on the BCCI board.
Although not well-known among fans for his playing career, Saikia is closely associated with India’s ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). His administrative career began as general secretary of a cricket club in Assam, under the leadership of Himanta Biswa Sarma, who is now the chief minister of Assam and a senior BJP figure.
Both Saikia and Sarma have been involved in the Assam state cricket association, and when Sarma assumed leadership of the state, he appointed Saikia as the government’s chief legal advisor, known as the advocate general.
Saikia, a wicketkeeper-batsman, had a modest first-class cricket career, playing just four matches for Assam and scoring 53 runs.
