Mumbai, September 18, 2026 (Yes Punjab News)
The BCCI office bearers have been authorised to take decisions concerning the men’s selection committees, but the Board offered no clarity on the future of chief selector Ajit Agarkar at its Annual General Meeting (AGM) on Friday.
The development comes amid uncertainty over Agarkar’s position as chairman of the senior men’s selection committee. His current contract runs until October 2026, with no confirmation yet on whether it will be extended until next year’s ODI World Cup in Zimbabwe, South Africa and Namibia.
After the AGM at the BCCI headquarters, secretary Devajit Saikia said the meeting went smoothly and confirmed that the existing members of the IPL Governing Council, Arun Dhumal and Khairul Jamal Majumdar, were re-elected unopposed.
“Regarding the selectors (in both senior and junior men’s committees), an authorisation has been taken and we will decide about the selectors later,” Saikia said.
If the BCCI decides against retaining Agarkar, it would have to follow the established process of inviting applications through a public advertisement and conducting interviews with shortlisted candidates.
Former India wicketkeeper-batter Parthiv Patel has emerged as a potential contender for the position if the BCCI office bearers decide to make a change in the senior selection panel. Patel is currently an assistant coach with Gujarat Titans in the IPL and has also taken up commentary assignments.
Speculation about Patel being considered for a prominent role in the selection setup has surfaced periodically since March. Having been retired from active cricket for more than five years, he would meet the eligibility requirement related to the cooling-off period for former players, if considered.
Agarkar, meanwhile, recently attended India’s T20I matches against Afghanistan at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in New Delhi along with selection committee members RP Singh and Ajay Ratra.
He had missed a high-profile review meeting on September 3 as he was reportedly at a location without internet connectivity.
BCCI secretary Saikia, ICC Chairman Jay Shah and BCCI President Mithun Manhas were also present at the second India-Afghanistan T20I along with officials of the Afghanistan Cricket Board.
On speculation about a possible change of venue for the Border-Gavaskar Trophy Test in Ranchi, Saikia said the matter was not discussed during the AGM.
“No, there was no discussion about the venue for that Test match,” he said, adding that some fixtures had been discussed and that matches involving 50-over formats had been completed while the remaining fixtures were in the 20-over format.
The inclusion of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands within the BCCI structure was also on the AGM agenda. However, their application for affiliate membership has reportedly been deferred due to legal issues.
Meanwhile, domestic umpires, match referees and scorers are expected to receive a significant increase in their fees. The BCCI is likely to constitute a three-member committee to finalise the revised fee structure.
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