Who replaces Jay Shah as BCCI Secretary?

Jay Shah, not long ago, was announced as the ICC Chairman, replacing Greg Barclay. He officially took charge of the ICC from December 1. Since then, whispers have been circulating about who will replace him as the BCCI secretary. Finally, after a few days of waiting, former first-class cricketer and current BCCI joint secretary, Devajit Saikia, has been appointed as the Board of Control for Cricket in India’s acting secretary by president Roger Binny.

As mentioned, Saikia will take charge as acting secretary until the permanent secretary assumes the role. BCCI president Roger Binny used his constitutional powers to appoint Saikia as acting secretary in a stop-gap arrangement until a permanent secretary is appointed, in line with BCCI rules and regulations.

Who is Devajit Saikia?

A lawyer by profession, Saikia is also a former first-class cricketer and is currently serving as the BCCI joint secretary. He hails from Assam. Saikia studied at Cotton College and went on to play in the Ranji Trophy for the Assam cricket team as a wicketkeeper-batter, having played four matches in total. It will be interesting to see how things go for him as the BCCI acting secretary.

In a letter addressed to Saikia, which PTI has obtained, Binny referred to clause 7(1)(d) of the BCCI constitution to assign secretarial powers to the Assam official, who is also the state’s Advocate General. “In the event of a vacancy or indisposition, the president shall delegate the functions to another office bearer until the vacancy is filled or the indisposition ends. Therefore, I am delegating the responsibilities of secretary to you until the position is filled according to the procedures outlined in the BCCI rules and regulations. I am confident you will carry out these duties to the best of your abilities and with great skill,” Binny wrote to Saikia.