Former Delhi captain Mithun Manhas has filed his nomination for the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) President post at the board's headquarters on Sunday. The 45-year-old's name emerged after an informal meeting in New Delhi. The Indian board was keen to have a former cricketer at the helm, similar to Sourav Ganguly and Roger Binny. The formal announcement will be made at the BCCI's Annual General Meeting (AGM) on September 28.
Manhas has played domestic cricket for Delhi before moving to Jammu and Kashmir, where he also took up coaching roles. He has played 157 first-class matches, scoring 9714 runs at an average of 45.82. In 130 List A matches, he scored 4126 runs, and in 91 T20s, he has 1170 runs. He also played 55 IPL matches.
Rajeev Shukla, the BCCI vice-president, announced the new panel of candidates for the Board's top posts. Along with Manhas, Raghuram Bhatt, a former Test cricketer, filed for the treasurer position. Prabhtej Bhatia is nominated for joint secretary, Arun Singh Dhumal for IPL Governing Council chairman, and Jaydev Shah for apex council member. Shukla mentioned that Arun Dhumal would continue as the IPL chairman.
Manhas' emphasis on a professional setup and better facilities helped improve the performances of the J&K teams. R Ashwin once called Manhas one of the best players of spin bowling. According to Ashwin, playing with Manhas and Rajat Bhatia was like finishing school before playing international cricket and gave him valuable lessons. Manhas' best season was in 2007-08 when he scored 921 runs in that first-class season at 57.56, helping Delhi end their Ranji Trophy championship drought.
After retiring from cricket, Manhas transitioned into administration and has been associated with the Jammu and Kashmir Cricket Association (JSCA). He has also represented the board in BCCI's AGMs in the past. He was previously the convener of the North Zone for the Duleep Trophy and has also worked as a support staff member in the IPL franchise Gujarat Titans.
If elected, Manhas will be the third former cricketer to take up the presidency, after Sourav Ganguly and Roger Binny.
