Concerns Emerge Over ICC’s New CEO Appointment

Sources indicate that the International Cricket Council’s (ICC) recent selection of Sanjog Gupta as its new Chief Executive Officer (CEO) has generated apprehension regarding a possible conflict of interest.

Gupta is under scrutiny due to his previous support for India obtaining a more substantial proportion of the ICC’s revenue, according to insiders.

Reportedly, during past conversations about the ICC’s revenue distribution strategy, Gupta contended that India’s significant contribution to global cricket revenue should entitle it to a greater share.

Several member boards have been uneasy due to these viewpoints, especially given their existing worries about India’s increasing influence within the ICC. The growing number of Indian officials in important ICC leadership positions may jeopardise the governing body’s impartiality and undermine its collective decision-making process.

Gupta’s appointment enhances the expanding list of Indian administrators holding senior positions at the ICC under chairman Jay Shah, who is also from India.

Prabhakaran Thanraj holds the position of vice president of commercial and operations, while Gaurav Saxena is the general manager of events and corporate communications.

Both individuals formerly worked for the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI); Saxena previously held the position of BCCI’s general manager of operations before joining the ICC.

These appointments have sparked worries about a perceived concentration of authority within the ICC, with some cricket boards privately expressing dissatisfaction about the absence of fair representation in global cricket’s decision-making procedures, sources say.

Sanjog Gupta was appointed CEO on Monday, succeeding Geoff Allardice, who left the post last year.

According to the ICC, the recruiting procedure started in March 2025 and drew over 2,500 applications from 25 nations. Twelve individuals were chosen for further evaluation from this pool.

The ICC nominations committee, which comprised Deputy chairman Imran Khawaja, ECB chairman Richard Thompson, SLC president Shammi Silva, and BCCI secretary Devajit Saikia, made the final recommendation.

Gupta was unanimously chosen by the committee, and their recommendation was then authorised by Jay Shah and approved by the entire ICC Board.