Jay Shah Receives 'Transformational Leader Of The Year' Award At NDTV Indian Of The Year 2025

Jay Shah's tenure as BCCI secretary from 2019 to 2024 saw a series of transformative steps in Indian cricket. During his stint at the Indian cricket board, the Women's Premier League was launched, pay parity between men's and women's cricketers was introduced, record-breaking media rights deals for the IPL were signed, and domestic cricket witnessed massive upliftment. Jay Shah, after resigning from his post as BCCI secretary towards the end of 2024, took over as ICC chairman in December the same year. The impact of his positive moves is still being felt in Indian cricket.

At the NDTV Indian Of The Year 2025, Jay Shah received the 'Transformational Leader Of The Year' award. He dedicated the award to India's women's cricket team and said the Women's World Cup-winning players have inspired him and women across India.

"I took over the BCCI in 2019. I wanted to implement pay parity then. But Covid hit, and our focus was to restart the IPL and show the world. In 2022, when I was re-elected, I told the apex council that the injustice to women players would now stop. We launched the WPL, increased domestic cricketers' fees. Through WPL - sponsorship, media rights, and teams - we raised more than Rs 6,000 crore, thanks to these girls. Congratulations for that! Earlier in ODIs, women cricketers used to get Rs 1 lakh; now they get Rs 6 lakh. In T20Is, they used to get Rs 1 lakh; now they get Rs 3 lakh. In Tests, it has increased from Rs 2.5 lakh to Rs 15 lakh," Jay Shah said.

"Many people don't know I started my career at the Central Board of Cricket Ahmedabad in 2009. If you go to the top directly, you can't contribute. If you go from scratch to the top, then you can contribute."

Dr. Sanjiv Goenka, chairman of the RP Sanjiv Goenka Group and owner of IPL team Lucknow Super Giants, spoke in details about Jay Shah's working philosophy.

"If I have to describe him in three words, it will be - brilliant, visionary, compassionate. One of the reasons I am in IPL is because of him. One of the reasons cricket in India is where it is, is because of him. One of the reasons why BCCI is where it is, is because of him. The way the media rights were split between broadcast and digital was because of him. One of the reasons why women's cricket is where it is, is because of him. World cricket now is where it is because of him. This is not just a management style; it is the beginning of a movement. This man is so unassuming, so quiet, doesn't talk about it, but it is a textbook case of how to manage, how to brand, and how to commercialize. Unbelievable," Goenka said.

Topics mentioned in this article

India Cricket Team BCCI Cricket