Jay Shah wins CII Sports Business Leader of the Year Award, BCCI calls it "truly deserved"

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) secretary Jay Shah won the Sports Business Leader of the Year Award at the Confederation of Indian Industry, a non-government trade group based in New Delhi.

Shah has been in the position since October 2019. He also heads the Asian Cricket Council (CC). The organizations oversaw the men's ODI World Cup 2023 in India and the men's 2023 Asia Cup in Pakistan and Sri Lanka recently.

"CONGRATULATIONS to BCCI Honorary Secretary @JayShah on being awarded the Sports Business Leader of the Year Award at the @FollowCII Sports Business Awards 2023. A first for any leader in Indian Sports administration, this recognition is truly deserved!" the BCCI said in a statement.

"His leadership has left an indelible mark on Cricket worldwide— spearheading the ICC Men's World Cup to new heights, championing inclusivity with significant strides in pay parity and the creation of the Women's Premier League, steering the inclusion of Cricket at the Olympics, and many more groundbreaking initiatives that have changed the game forever! 👏" the statement added.

Under Shah, the BCCI brought pay parity in terms of match fees for men and women cricketers although the contractual differences remain. He also headed the Financial & Commercial Affairs Committee (F&CA) which recently announced parity in the prize money of comparable men and women ICC tournaments.

---

"Expressing concern about the relevance of ODI cricket seems particularly stringent to me" - Jay Shah

After the completion of the World Cup, which faced several issues but ended on a successful note, Shah assuaged the concerns about the relevance of the ODI format going forward.

"Expressing concern about the relevance of ODI cricket seems particularly stringent to me, especially in the aftermath of the most successful ODI event in history. The format not only maintains its enduring popularity but also, if anything, has experienced a surge in traction over time. There is no need to rely solely on my perspective; the numbers provide a compelling narrative," he told The Week.

"The World Cup, hosted by India, saw a record-breaking attendance of 1.25 million (12.5 lakh) spectators. What is noteworthy is that the one million milestone was reached with six games remaining. Viewership records were not just broken, they were shattered. [On digital, there were] 5.9 crore [concurrent viewers] during the final," Shah added.

Indian men's team is preparing to tour South Africa for an all-format series while the women's team will host England for a three-match T20I series from Wednesday.