Jay Shah Becomes ICC Chairman: A Look At His Cricket Administration Journey

Board of Control for Cricket in India Secretary Jay Shah has been appointed unopposed as the independent chair of the International Cricket Council. He will assume the position as the chairperson of ICC on Dec. 1, succeeding the current ICC Chair Greg Barclay, according to a statement on Tuesday.

Barclay will step down from the position post the completion of his tenure in November and will not seek a third term.

Born on Sept. 22, 1988, Shah did his schooling in Gujarat and then earned a Bachelor of Technology degree from Nirma University. His journey in cricket administration began in 2013 at the age of 25, when he was appointed joint secretary of the Gujarat Cricket Association.

Soon after, he made his mark by playing an instrumental role in the development of the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad—currently the world's largest cricket stadium. His work with the GCA laid the foundation for his rise within the administrative ranks of Indian cricket.

Shah became involved with the BCCI in 2015, joining the board’s finance and marketing committees. At the age of 31, he assumed the position of secretary in 2019, thereby becoming one of the youngest office bearers in BCCI’s history. 

Shah was elected as the president of the Asian Cricket Council in January 2021.

Shah has accomplished a great deal during his time at BCCI. One of his most noteworthy achievements was the 2022 Indian Premier League broadcasting rights agreement, which broke all previous records. The five-year rights were sold for a whopping Rs 48,390 crore, making the IPL the second-most lucrative sporting event in the world in terms of value per match, only behind the National Football League.

During his tenure so far, the Indian cricket team has also consistently performed at the highest levels. The team won the Asia Cup in 2023, played the finals of the 50-over World Cup in the same year, reached the T20 World Cup semi-final in 2022 and finished as the runner-up in the World Test Championship finals in 2021 and 2023. 

A significant moment in Shah's tenure came in June when India won the T20 World Cup.

With the support of cricket boards from England and Australia, Shah is expected to have the necessary backing to become the next ICC chairman.

Once he steps into the role of ICC chairman, he will join an elite group of Indian administrators who have led the global cricketing body, including Jagmohan Dalmiya, Sharad Pawar, N Srinivasan and Shashank Manohar.