Another Scindia pads up: Mahanaaryaman becomes youngest chief of MP cricket association

The youngest scion of the Gwalior royal family, Mahanaaryaman Rao Scindia, was on Tuesday crowned president of the Madhya Pradesh Cricket Association (MPCA). There were no contenders against the son of Union minister Jyotiraditya Scindia, helping the 29-year-old Mahanaaryaman become the youngest chief of the MPCA since it was established in 1957.

Mahanaaryaman has been involved with the state cricketing scene for a while, finding his feet as an administrator, and reportedly doing a good job of it. That is a bonus, on top of the fact that several generations of the Scindia royal dynasty have now led the cricket association in the state.

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While Mahanaaryaman’s grandfather Madhavrao Scindia held the post till his death, Jyotiraditya fought a bitter war with senior BJP leader Kailash Vijayvargiya for the post in 2010 and 2012. Once a Congress stalwart, Jyotiraditya is now in the BJP and Vijayvargiya’s colleague.

Recently, Madhya Pradesh’s star has been on the rise in the cricket field, with several of its players making their mark in the IPL tournament last year.

After he was picked as MPCA president, Mahanaaryaman visited the local Ganesh temple in Indore with his father before formally taking charge. He promised to take the legacy of the “tremendous work done by all the past presidents” forward, “to make our association number one in the country”. “We will take cricket to villages, especially women’s cricket, and give opportunities to our sisters. I will bring something new every year to Indore.”

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Making a point of his unanimous election, Mahanaaryaman said: “It shows the association is a family that always remains united in any decision.” In fact, all the posts in the MPCA executive were filled unopposed, at an Annual General Meeting held at Holkar Stadium in Indore.

Former MPCA president Abhilash Khandekar, who has incidentally written a book on the Scindia family, told The Indian Express: “Madhavrao Scindia’s association with cricket began in the 1980s. After his death, several others were considered. Shravan Patel, a Ranji Trophy player, took charge, and later, at the demand of members, Jyotiraditya Scindia became president. Now, there is a demand for Mahanaaryaman Scindia. The Members saw his organisational skills during the Madhya Pradesh League (MPL).”

Khandekar denied any political link to Mahanaaryaman’s elevation. “The Scindia name carries an aura in Gwalior and Indore, and Mahanaaryaman’s entry should not be read too deeply as political. He is entering sports administration at the state level. He is a known personality, but his involvement is strictly in cricket, not politics,” he said.

A product of Doon School, the youngest Scindia scion is a graduate in Political Science and Government from America’s Yale University. He also studied International Relations and Affairs at the London School of Economics, and worked as an associate in Boston Consulting Group.

Mahanaaryaman holds the post of director at Jaipur Vilas Palace in Gwalior, where his family lives. Apart from this, he is a director in two AI-based companies located in Gurugram.

In the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, Mahanaaryaman played a leading role in the campaign to help Jyotiraditya wrest back his traditional Guna seat. The young leader had proved an adept campaigner, even preparing samosas and buying local products for his mother, apart from talking to villagers, to make a connect.

While refusing to say what this could mean for the future, a Scindia loyalist said Mahanaaryaman’s election was good news. “We have Maharaj (Jyotiraditya) working for Gwalior-Chambal tirelessly. And we now have hope that the legacy is in good hands, with Mahanaaryaman walking in his family’s footsteps. He is popular with the youth and has a good connect with many workers.”

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