The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has set the electoral wheels in motion for two key positions on the IPL Governing Council, but this is an election that carries more inevitability than intrigue.
Electoral Officer AK Joti has formally notified elections for two Member posts on the IPL Governing Council (GC) under Rule 28 of the BCCI Constitution, with the vote scheduled for the BCCI Annual General Meeting on September 18.
Familiar Faces, Short Terms
Rule 28 stipulates that four members from the BCCI general body sit on the IPL GC, with two of them elected at the AGM. Those elected members are currently Arun Singh Dhumal of Himachal Pradesh, who serves as chairman, and Mizoram’s Khairul Jamal Majumdar.
Both are expected to walk back into office without a contest.
Their terms, as laid down in the BCCI constitution, last only one year, forcing an annual return to the ballot even when the outcome looks like a formality. Dhumal and Majumdar must file their nominations on September 9 or 10. After scrutiny, the final list of candidates will be published on September 12. Unless a surprise challenger emerges, the process is likely to be a procedural rubber stamp on continuity.
The other two general body representatives on the GC are BCCI secretary Devajit Saikia and treasurer Raghuram Bhat, giving the council a strong administrative spine from the board’s top brass.
A Seven-Member Power Group
In total, the IPL Governing Council comprises seven members. Alongside the four general body representatives, the council includes the BCCI CEO, a representative from the Indian Cricketers’ Association (ICA), and a nominee from the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG).
This blend of board officials, players’ representation and an independent nominee keeps the IPL’s decision-making structure tightly knit, with the general body still holding a decisive presence.
The latest notification is narrowly focused. By restricting it to the IPL GC posts, the Electoral Officer has effectively shut the door on any surprise ballot for other positions. That aligns with the wider expectation inside Indian cricket’s corridors of power: the current office-bearers are set to continue without challenge.
Building the Electoral Roll
Behind the scenes, the machinery that actually delivers the vote is already whirring.
The Electoral Officer has called on all Full Members of the BCCI to submit applications naming their representatives to be included in the Electoral Roll for the elections. Those representatives from the state associations who attend the AGM will form the voting pool.
State units were asked to nominate their AGM representatives starting August 25, with August 31 fixed as the deadline. Once the applications are in, objections will be examined and decided upon, after which the final Electoral Roll is scheduled for release on September 8.
By the time the AGM convenes on September 18, the script is likely to be clear: a full Electoral Roll, a tidy ballot, and two familiar names returning to the IPL Governing Council.
The real question is not who gets elected, but how this steady hand at the helm will shape the next phase of the IPL’s relentless expansion.
