Jay Shah embarked on a new role in his career as a cricket administrator after taking over as the chairman of the International Cricket Council (ICC) following a successful stint as BCCI secretary, a position he took up after the shake-up of the Indian board on the recommendations of the Supreme Court-appointed Justice Lodha committee.
The 36-year old Jay Shah succeeds Greg Barclay to become the youngest member of the apex board. Jay, the son of Union Home Minister Amit Shah, has joined an elite list of Indian administrators to head the ICC along with the likes of Sharad Pawar, N Srinivasan, Shashank Manohar and Jagmohan Dalmiya.
He began his journey in administration back in 2009 when he was named as an executive board member of the Central Board of Cricket, Ahmedabad. In September 2013, Shah helped in building the iconic Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad after becoming the joint secretary of the Gujarat Cricket Association (GCA).
In 2015, Shah entered the BCCI as a member of the finance and marketing committee. In 2019, he became the youngest at 31 to take over as the board secretary.
Shah’s first major achievement as BCCI secretary was the Eden Gardens in Kolkata hosting India’s first-ever Day-Test match against Bangladesh in November 2019.
In 2020 and 2021, when the world was reeling from the deadly Covid-19 pandemic, Shah made sure that the Indian Premier League (IPL) took place with foreign players. In 2020, the United Arab Emirates hosted the IPL, while the 2021 edition was partly held in India and the Gulf country.
In 2022, under his leadership the BCCI took a major step towards gender equality by announcing a pay equity policy for contracted women players. Last year, he also spearheaded the formation of a women’s league (Women’s Premier League).
During his tenure, the BCCI also struck a major media rights deal of Rs 48,390 crore for five years. It made the IPL the second-most valued league in the globe in terms of per-match value.
Shah has also played important roles in world cricket as the President of the Asian Cricket Council and as Chair of the ICC’s Finance and Commercial Affairs Committee.
Commenting on his appointment as ICC Chair, Shah said: “I am honoured to be starting in the role of ICC Chair and want to thank the ICC Directors and Member Boards for their support and trust in me to undertake this important role.”
“This is an exciting time for the sport as we build up to the LA28 Olympic Games and strive to make cricket more inclusive and popular than ever before. We also stand at a critical juncture in terms of the coexistence of multiple formats and accelerating the growth of the women’s game. There is huge potential for the game of cricket globally, with so much opportunity to engage with existing and new fans, while ensuring the best resources and platforms for our cricketers around the world.
“I would also like to thank Greg Barclay for his leadership in the role for the past four years and the milestones achieved during that period. I look forward to working closely with the ICC team and the Member countries to sustainably expand the game’s reach and evolution on the global stage,” he added.