Rajiv Shukla tipped to replace Amin as IPL chairman

Chirayu Amin, the current IPL chairman, is likely to step down from the position at the BCCI's Annual General Meeting that will be held on September 19 and 20 in Mumbai, ESPNcricinfo has learned. Amin has reportedly told the BCCI he does not have the time to devote to the job and Rajiv Shukla, the current board vice-president from the Central Zone, is the person tipped to take over from him.

Shukla is a union minister in the Indian government and it is believed he could help smooth communication between the BCCI and the government in light of the controversies surrounding the IPL.

Amin may not withdraw into the background, however, and could be interested in the post of treasurer of the BCCI, sources said. To this point, the position had appeared to be a contest between current West Zone vice-president Niranjan Shah and the president of the Maharashtra Cricket Association, Ajay Shirke, who is on the IPL governing council, with Shah thought to have the inside track.

The other positions up for grabs at the AGM are those of the honorary secretary, the honorary joint-secretary, and the five zonal vice-presidents. The post of secretary will be vacated by N Srinivasan, who will take over as president from Shashank Manohar. The current frontrunner to replace Srinivasan is Ranjib Biswal, the Orissa Cricket Association president. Biswal was on the 2010-11 IPL governing committee and has served as East Zone's representative on the selection committee in the past. But he does not appear to have the support of the Cricket Association of Bengal and that might affect his chances. The current joint-secretary, Sanjay Jagdale, is also thought to be in the fray, as well as Shivlal Yadav, the vice-president from the South Zone and a former India spinner.

Meanwhile Anurag Thakur, the president of the Himachal Pradesh Association, is thought to be the sole candidate to replace Jagdale as joint-secretary. Thakur was largely responsible for building the cricket stadium at Dharamsala and was on the BCCI's finance committee this past year.

If Shukla does become the head of the IPL, that would open the door for Jyotiraditya Scindia, son of the late Madhavrao Scindia, a former Union minster and BCCI president, to be elected the vice-president from the Central Zone. Jyotiraditya has now attended two AGMs, the minimum required for those wishing to be elected to an official position.

There has also been talk of Sundar Raman, the IPL chief executive, being given an official position on the board. Raman was the BCCI's representative at the ICC Chief Executive's Committee meeting on September 12.

The nominations have to be filed between 10am and 3pm on Sunday, September 18. They will then be scrutinised with candidates able to withdraw until 6pm. The final list will be published at 7pm and voting will take place during the AGM the next day. However, one board official suggested to ESPNcricinfo that there might not be a need for an election as "the president will decide everything".