From running the world’s richest cricket board to chairing the International Cricket Council, Jay Shah’s meteoric rise illustrates India’s dramatic domination of the sport’s global administration.
In a country where the sport and politics go hand in glove, even after Shah was named all-powerful secretary of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), the 35-year-old is best known for his father.
He is the son of India’s powerful interior minister Amit Shah, the right-hand man of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Now, five years after taking the top BCCI job, Shah was elected unopposed as chairperson of the influential ICC.
He becomes the youngest person to take the ICC’s top job, overseeing a sport beloved by a billion-plus fans – with more than 90% of them in the Indian subcontinent, according to a 2018 ICC study.
India’s financial sway in the sport has put Shah – who already headed the ICC’s finance and commercial affairs committee – in a commanding position.
Shah oversaw the rapid rise of the wildly popular Indian Premier League (IPL), attracting some of world cricket’s top stars with bumper salaries in the shorter T20 format of the sport.
The pioneering IPL sold its broadcast rights in 2022 for five seasons to global media giants for an eye-popping $6.2 billion – putting it up among the highest-ranked sports leagues in cost-per-match terms.
The sport’s popularity has made the BCCI staggeringly powerful, with top politicians clinging to state associations for influence and benefits.
But Shah dreams bigger.
He also heads the Asian Cricket Council (ACC), and helped push cricket’s return to the Olympic programme.
He has spoken of India’s “unparalleled global fan base”, and with cricket an Olympic sport in Los Angeles in 2028, dreams of using the sport to bolster India’s hopes of hosting the Games in 2036.
“The inclusion of our sport in the Olympics at LA 2028 represents a significant inflection point for the growth of cricket, and I am confident that it will drive the sport forward in unprecedented ways,” Shah said on Tuesday after he was elected.
The incoming ICC Chair has outlined what he wants to achieve during his tenure.
— ICC (@ICC) August 28, 2024
Details 👇https://t.co/CAcuWmB4y6
Shah’s swift career rise began in 2009 in his home state of Gujarat as a young man.
His father had earlier served as the president of the state’s Gujarat Cricket Association (GCA).
In 2013, Shah became GCA joint secretary.
It was under his watch that construction began turning the cricket ground in Gujarat’s main city Ahmedabad into the world’s largest cricket stadium, a vast 132 000-seat arena – named after Modi.
Two years later, he also joined the top levels of the BCCI, and in 2019, then just 31, he was elected as the national board’s secretary.
His ascension to the country’s top cricketing job sparked criticism of nepotism.
In a cricket-crazy country of 1.4 billion people, where the sport is treated more like a religion than a game, Shah’s role was watched keenly.
Heartiest Congratulations @JayShah https://t.co/F3PhVQQLud
— Rohit Sharma (@ImRo45) August 28, 2024
While largely avoiding direct interviews during his tenure at the BCCI, Shah tried to cultivate an image of a young, hands-on administrator willing to take tough decisions and support players.
Earlier this year, Shah warned cricketers to not prioritise the lucrative IPL tournament over domestic cricket.
“It is essential to recognise that domestic cricket forms the backbone of Indian cricket,” he wrote, a rare rebuke for the country’s superstar cricketers who have skipped home tournaments for lucrative franchise games.
Shah fashioned himself as a champion for women’s cricket as the BCCI set up the Women’s Premier League on the lines of the IPL last year.
India’s rapid economic strides have helped players, coaches and ground staff with much better pay and contracts.
Many congratulations @JayShah on being elected as the ICC chairman. Wishing you great success ahead.
— Virat Kohli (@imVkohli) August 28, 2024
But the BCCI under Shah has also faced criticism for not doing enough to upgrade cricket stadiums to improve the overall comfort and viewing experience for millions of avid fans.
Critics say the BCCI’s wealth and reach enable it to pull strings at the ICC.
In other countries, the ICC has been swift to suspend boards over political interference, including in Zimbabwe in 2019 and Sri Lanka last year.
But it has not acted over India’s deep ties between its ruling party and cricket authorities.
Shah’s drive also led to cricket’s inclusion in the 2022 Commonwealth Games in Birmingham and the 2022 Asian Games in Guangzhou.
“Just as he has done for Indian cricket, both men and women players worldwide will benefit,” former India great Sunil Gavaskar said of the young administrator in a column for India’s Sportstar publication. | AFP