Delhi: BCCI has called a meeting on January 12 in Mumbai, in which, among other issues, Devjit Saikia will be declared the new BCCI Secretary. However, at present, he is looking after the work of acting secretary in BCCI and he himself is the joint secretary, as per the situation, the announcement of his name as the new secretary is a mere formality, because he is the only contender for this post. And there is no one to challenge the Jai Shah group that is in control of BCCI. Incidentally, he will be replacing Jay Shah, who has become the ICC President, as secretary.
In such a situation, the biggest question is who is Devjit Saikia? He is not a very famous name in cricket, but when we know more about him, we will know how and what he does without any discussion. Believe me, BCCI is getting a secretary who has played first class cricket. So let us know about them in brief:
Life Line: Born in Guwahati, studied at the famous Cotton College there, did a Master’s degree in Economics in 1994 and then an LLB degree from BRM Government Law College.
career : Worked in Railways from 1989 to 1991 and then in Reserve Bank of India (Guwahati) till 1996. Both these jobs were found in sports quota. After that he took up law and currently holds the senior post of Advocate General of Assam. Before that he had also been the Additional Advocate General of Meghalaya.
Cricket player: Has played CK Nayudu Trophy, Vijay Merchant Trophy, Cooch Behar Trophy, Vijay Hazare Trophy (Under-17) and Senior Vijay Hazare Trophy for Assam. Zonal was in the team with Sourav Ganguly and Ranjib Biswal. Has also played in Wills Trophy and Ranji Trophy team. 4 matches as wicketkeeper-batsman in Ranji: Scored a total of 53 runs in these.
Entry into Cricket Administration: Started with the post of Secretary of Gauhati Town Club. Became Vice President and then Secretary of Assam Cricket Association (ACA). Due to his efforts, not only IPL matches were held in Guwahati, but also warm-up matches of the 2023 ODI World Cup were played. Stopped financial irregularities in Assam Cricket Association and thereby brought the state on the cricket map. The ACA Stadium was completed in Barsapara so that big matches could be played there and in 2017, the India-Australia T20 International started there. And did a lot more.
Entry in BCCI: Due to the fame of what he did in Assam, he became BCCI Joint Secretary in October 2022 and now Secretary. Recently India was represented in the ICC Board meeting on Champions Trophy 2025.
While on one hand all these works and roles of his are being discussed, on the other hand he is also facing opposition. His becoming Board Secretary is becoming a political issue in Assam and it is being entangled on the plea of ’conflict of interest’ with his post of Government Advocate General. However, he has been a cricketer and knows how to play bouncer and has a good understanding of the legal intricacies. Now let us hope that just as he made cricket shine in Assam, in the same way as BCCI Secretary, he will keep the betterment of Indian cricket at the forefront.