Former BCCI's joint secretary appointed as first-ever Women's Premier League chairman

Jayesh George, who is the current president of the Kerala Cricket Association (KCA), scripted history on Sunday, September 28, after being elected as the first-ever chairman of the Women's Premier League (WPL).

Jayesh George becomes WPL chairman

His appointment was confirmed during the Annual General Meeting (AGM) of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) held in Mumbai. Before taking up this new position, Jayesh George had previously served in a key administrative role as the Joint Secretary of the BCCI under Jay Shah, who currently chairs the International Cricket Council (ICC).

"A big thanks to BCCI for giving me this responsibility and the KCA gave me all the support. I will use this opportunity to improve the WPL and give more opportunities to our women cricketers," said Jayesh after the AGM, as quoted by Sportstar.

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Jayesh George's journey in cricket administration began with the Ernakulam District Cricket Association, where he served as secretary. He later progressed through various key roles within the Kerala Cricket Association (KCA), holding positions as Joint Secretary, Secretary, and Treasurer before being elected as the KCA president in 2022.

George is also credited with the successful launch of the Kerala Cricket League (KCL), a T20 event for men that recently concluded its second season. KCA Secretary Vinod Kumar hailed Jayesh's new appointment, noting that it "comes as an encouragement for us at a time when the KCA is planning to start a women's league next year."

"Hopefully, we can also stage some WPL matches and other high-profile women's matches," Vinod Kumar said.

New National Selectors

The BCCI has appointed two former India internationals, Pragyan Ojha and RP Singh, as members of the national senior men's selection committee. They take these roles following the departures of S. Sharath and Subroto Banerjee.

The women's national selection panel also saw major appointments, with former India women's cricketer Amita Sharma named the team's chief selector. She will be joined by four other former players: Shyama Dey, Sulakshana Naik, Jaya Sharma, and Sravanthi Naidu, who complete the new selection panel.