Behind Mithun Manhas’ shock rise: BCCI scrambles for midnight fix amid legal drama as Ganguly, Harbhajan sidelined

According to a report in the Times of India, the decision around Manhas came in the early hours of Saturday. The board officials were "left in a fix" after having no obvious choice available to fill the vacant role. They were adamant in having a cricket for the position, based on the Supreme Court-appointed Lodha committee’s recommendations, which were included in the BCCI constitution in 2019. The choices available for the Indian board, by virtue of attending the impending AGM meeting, were former India captain and ex-BCCI president Ganguly (from Cricket Association of Bengal), Raghuram Bhat (Karnataka State Cricket Association) and former India bowler Harbhajan (Punjab Cricket Association).

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Unlike the aforementioned three, Manhas is not an elected office-bearer at the Jammu and Kashmir Cricket Association (JKCA). He is merely a director of cricket operations at the JKCA, and has represented the state association in several AGMs in the past. However, as revealed in the report, BCCI secretary Devajit Saikia backed Manhas for the role.

“It wasn’t a straightforward decision for the forces in the BCCI. All the technicalities were discussed around Manhas. Legal opinion was taken in this regard. The meeting went on almost till midnight. The board found a way around to have a cricketer as the president,” a BCCI source told TOI.

The 45-year-old played 157 First-Class, 130 List A and 55 IPL matches in a long domestic career from 1997-98 to 2016-17. He also appeared in the IPL for Chennai Super Kings, erstwhile Delhi Daredevils and the now-defunct Pune Warriors.

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