Mumbai: The vice president of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), Rajeev Shukla, has played down reports about him stepping in as interim president following the conclusion of Roger Binny’s tenure. Shukla described the development as a routine transition and termed the ongoing buzz “unnecessary chatter.”
Speculation intensified on Monday morning as reports circulated about Shukla preparing to assume charge after Binny, who turns 70 on July 19, 2025. Shukla, currently 65, is expected to take on the responsibilities for a short period — roughly three months — until the BCCI holds its Annual General Meeting (AGM) in September. With Shukla turning 66 that month, he could potentially contest for the position of full-time president in the elections.
Dismissing the hype, Shukla said, “These are baseless discussions. When a post is about to be vacated, the next eligible official generally takes over until the elections. It’s just procedural.”
Roger Binny was elected as BCCI’s 36th president in October 2022, succeeding former Indian captain Sourav Ganguly. His term saw some significant milestones, including India’s victories in the ICC T20 World Cup 2024 and the ICC Champions Trophy 2025. One of his major contributions was the launch of the Women’s Premier League (WPL), a professional women’s cricket tournament inspired by the success of the Indian Premier League (IPL).
Binny also focused on revamping India’s domestic cricket structure — enhancing player compensation, introducing better incentives, and encouraging greater participation from senior players in domestic tournaments.
A key figure in India’s cricket history, Binny was a bowling all-rounder who played 27 Test matches and 72 ODIs for India. He took 47 wickets and scored 830 runs in Tests, including five half-centuries. In ODIs, he picked up 77 wickets and made 629 runs. He played a vital role in India’s historic 1983 World Cup win, emerging as the team’s highest wicket-taker in the tournament with 18 wickets.
Prior to his stint as BCCI president, Binny was also a member of the BCCI selection committee.
