Former Assam cricketer Devajit Saikia has been appointed as the secretary of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), succeeding Jay Shah, whose departure left the position unfilled for more than a month following his elevation to chairman of the International Cricket Council (ICC).
Saikia’s first official duty in his new position was to attend a meeting with BCCI president Roger Binny, where they discussed India’s recent performance in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy against Australia. Reports indicate that Indian team captain Rohit Sharma and coach Gautam Gambhir were also in attendance.
According to reports, the meeting involved an in-depth analysis of the Indian team’s performance during the Border-Gavaskar Trophy, addressing what went wrong and identifying necessary corrective actions. However, it was noted that there would not be any hasty decisions by the new BCCI leadership, especially with the Champions Trophy 2025 approaching in just a few weeks.
Hailing from Assam, Saikia brings a rich blend of experience in cricket, law, and administration to his new role. He played as a first-class cricketer from 1990 to 1991, participating in four matches as a wicketkeeper, scoring 53 runs, and making nine dismissals.
After his time in the field, Saikia pursued a legal career, beginning as a lawyer at the Gauhati High Court at the age of 28. Prior to his legal practice, he held positions in the Northern Frontier Railways and the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) under sports quota provisions.
Saikia ventured into cricket administration in 2016, becoming one of six vice presidents of the Assam Cricket Association (ACA) during the presidency of Hemanta Biswa Sarma, who is now the Chief Minister of Assam. He later held the position of ACA secretary from 2019 before being elected as BCCI joint secretary in 2022.
At 55, Saikia reflects on his entry into cricket administration, asserting that he never intended to take on an administrative role but felt “compelled” to do so after witnessing corruption within Assam’s cricket administration. In a past interaction with broadcasters, he remarked, “It was never my intention to be a cricket or sports administrator. Even today, I don’t like being an administrator.”