Indian cricket’s influence on the global stage is set to grow even more. In a major development, Sanjog Gupta, a top Indian sports executive, is likely to become the new Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the International Cricket Council (ICC). If confirmed, as reported by The Guardian, this would mark another strong step in India’s rise to the top tier of world cricket leadership. It was only last year when Jay Shah became the ICC Chairman after his long stint as the BCCI secretary.
The ICC has approached Sanjog Gupta with an offer to take on the CEO role. Given his prior experience working with Jay Shah, this potential partnership could be beneficial for India. Gupta is poised to take over as the ICC’s Chief Executive, replacing Geoff Allardice, who is serving out his notice period.
Who is Sanjog Gupta? Set to become new ICC CEO
Sanjog Gupta is currently the CEO of Sports & Live Experiences at Jiostar, the broadcast company that owns the ICC’s $3 billion media rights. He has played a key role in building the popularity of cricket on television and digital platforms globally.
Gupta studied economics at Delhi University and began his career as a journalist for The Tribune. He later worked with well-known Indian media outlets like TV Today Network, Star News India, and NDTV. Both Gupta and Shah have worked closely before, especially as Jiostar also broadcasts the Indian Premier League (IPL).
Challenges for Sanjog Gupta at ICC
The ICC is going through a crucial phase. Geoff Allardice, the current CEO, will step down in July, and Gupta is seen as the favourite to replace him. As the new CEO, Gupta would be responsible for several major issues:
- Managing the IPL boom
The IPL is set to grow from 74 matches per season to 94 by 2028. Gupta will need to balance this with international cricket to protect the game’s global calendar.
- WTC’s future
The current structure will stay until 2027, but many experts believe changes are needed. Gupta may lead a revamp of the format to make Test cricket more exciting and fair.
- Growth of women’s cricket
There’s strong interest in expanding women’s cricket around the world. Gupta will likely play a key role in promoting more international matches and tournaments.
- Cricket at Olympics
Cricket will return to the Olympics in 2028. Organising this smoothly and gaining worldwide attention will be one of Gupta’s big tasks. Currently, there’s no planning on how the qualification process would be.
- India vs Pakistan tensions
One of the most sensitive challenges will be managing matches between India and Pakistan. Due to political tensions, the two nations rarely play each other outside ICC tournaments. Now, due to the new animosity between the two regions, there are cries from both the parties to not loggerhead on the playing field again.
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