'These are useless talks' - Rajeev Shukla on reports of him taking over as BCCI president

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has come into the headlines once again, as reports regarding Rajeev Shukla replacing Roger Binny as the new BCCI president have gone viral. The BCCI vice-president has opened up on the possibility of taking over the role.

Roger Binny will be turning 70 on July 19, which will mark the end of his tenure as the president, and Shukla, being the vice-president of the board, will take over on an interim basis for the next three months. Though the reports are also suggesting that Shukla could stand in the next election to be the full-time president, he instantly rubbished the talks around him taking over and claimed that it is a procedural matter where the vacant spot will be taken over by the person next in line on an interim basis.

“These are useless talks. When one spot is about to get vacant, the person next in line gets the interim charge before the election. It is a procedural thing,” Shukla was quoted as saying by OP India.

Roger Binny’s successful tenure as BCCI president

Roger Binny took over the role as the BCCI President on October 18, 2022, succeeding Sourav Ganguly. Binny has enjoyed a successful tenure, where the Indian men's team is ranked number one in both white-ball formats and at the fourth spot in Tests. The India Women's team is also ranked third in the 50-over and 20-over formats as well.

The Men in Blue has won two ICC events under Binny’s presidency, which include the T20 World Cup in 2024 and the Champions Trophy in 2025. He also introduced the Women’s Premier League (WPL) to promote female cricketers through a cash-rich franchise league. The WPL has had three seasons so far, with the Mumbai Indians Women being the most successful team so far, with two titles to their name. Smriti Mandhana's RCB also won it once in 2024.