Jay Shah ranked above Kohli, Dhoni, Rohit in Indian Express' 100 most powerful Indians list

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) secretary Jay Shah has been ranked above star cricketers Virat Kohli, MS Dhoni and Rohit Sharma in The Indian Express' list of "100 Most Powerful Indians" in 2024. Shah has been ranked 35th while Kohli is placed at 38th. Meanwhile, former Indian captain Dhoni is at the 58th spot and the current Indian captain Rohit at no. 68.

During Shah's tenure, the BCCI has kickstarted the Women's Premier League in 2023. Later in the year, BCCI hosted the ODI World Cup exclusively for the first time. The event was a major success as the attendance and viewership numbers shattered many previous records. Shah also played a major role in facilitating cricket's return to the Olympics after 128 years (cricket will be among the various sports that will be played in Los Angeles in 2028). The Indian Express described the 35-year-old as "easily the most powerful man in world cricket."

"Already the youngest Asian Cricket Council (ACC) chief, he is in line to become the International Cricket Council (ICC) chairman. Shah played a big role in the BCCI’s share of ICC’s revenues nearly doubling — from 22.8 per cent to 38.5 per cent. This means the BCCI will now get $231 million annually from the international body. The BCCI secretary also got his way during last year’s Asia Cup, refusing to allow India to travel to Pakistan and forcing the hosts to travel to a neutral venue to play India. Shah has unprecedented control over the BCCI that was once known for its intense power struggles and factional fighting," Express added.

Kohli, placed at 38th, is the highest-ranked among the sportspersons. The former India skipper is one of the most iconic cricketers of all time. "He is no longer the Indian captain nor an important decision-maker but there is no bigger name in Indian cricket than Virat Kohli," Express said.

Kohli opted out of the ongoing five-match Test series against England citing personal reasons. It later emerged that his wife Anushka Sharma gave birth to their second child, a boy (named Aakay) on February 15. The Delhi batter is expected to be back in action during the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024, where he will be representing Royal Challengers Bangalore for the 17th consecutive season.

Meanwhile, Kohli's former teammate, Dhoni, placed at No. 58, retired from international cricket in 2020 but continues to entertain fans with his performances in the IPL for Chennai Super Kings. Last year, Dhoni led Chennai to a record-equalling fifth IPL title. The 42-year-old would love to win his sixth title with the Men in Yellow in the upcoming season of the cash-rich league, speculated to be his last dance.

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"He has long retired from international cricket but April and May — the Indian Premier League (IPL) months — belong to MS Dhoni. The Chennai Super Kings (CSK) skipper is rated among the most influential captains to ever play the game. Last year, he guided CSK to a record-equalling fifth IPL title. Regardless of geography, Dhoni is still among Indian cricket’s biggest draws," Express said.

Rohit received massive support from his fans after Mumbai Indians removed him from captaincy last year. He was replaced by Hardik Pandya. However, the BCCI placed their trust in the Mumbai batter and confirmed that he would be leading the Indian team in the 2024 T20 World Cup.

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"Rohit enjoys the confidence of the BCCI and has a major say in most selection decisions. Be it the call of phasing out seniors for Tests or the sidelining of those preferring IPL over domestic cricket, the Indian captain has been behind these important decisions. Though he lost the franchise captaincy to Hardik Pandya late last year, his sparkling leadership record in IPL makes him a strong voice in the Mumbai Indians dressing room. In a clear signal that his aura has far from faded, the BCCI named him the World T20 captain of a team that will have Pandya," the Express mentioned.

Olympic gold medal-winning javelin thrower Neeraj Chopra and wrestler Vinesh Phogat were the other sportspersons on the list. While Chopra ranked 46th, Phogat was placed at 100.