Assam’s Devajit Saikia officially takes over as BCCI secretary

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Without a doubt, in this land, cricket knows no boundaries. It has became more than sport; it is a passion, a way of life. In the blood of this avid cricket ground lies a son of Assam, Devajit Saikia. The current appointment of Saikia as Secretary of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) brought the owner of the sector’s richest cricket board. It is a big moment for the northeast state Assam as well.

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A Journey of Passion and Perseverance

The story of Devajit Saikia’s elevation to the top of the BCCI positions is primarily the story of hard cricketing passion and razor-sharp strategic acumen. Born and bred amidst the tea gardens of Assam, very early on in his childhood Saikia developed the game in his veins, even though exposure and resources were scant in the region, but sheer determination and hard work paved the way.

Though hardly resorting to infrastructure level, his association with cricket administration started with the small infrastructural facility and promotion of sports in Assam. Subsequently lauded, Saikia was slowly coming up from BCC Assam State Cricket Association to symbolize a part of it. His leadership and vision have helped turn the ACA activity into the most active state cricket association in the country with a neat organization.

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Former Assam Ranji player and the current Advocate General of the state, Devajit Lon Saikia was officially appointed the BCCI secretary, replacing Jay Shah

Devajit Lon Saikia, who is also an ex-Assam Ranji player and the current Advocate General of the state, was officially named as the secretary of the BCCI, with the additional responsibility of the post being given to Jay Shah during the ICC chairman tenure last month.

In tandem with Devajit Saikia, Prabhtej Singh Bhatia-an ex-councilor-is taking over as the new treasurer in this new tableau. Replacing Ashish Shelar with taking over the charge as Maharashtra minister last month.

Heartiest congratulations to former first-class cricketer and Joint Secretary of BCCI, Shri Devajit Lon Saikia, on being appointed as the new Secretary of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI).

This is indeed a proud moment for Assam and the entire North East and I’m… pic.twitter.com/R7byhTtlS4

— Ashok Singhal (@TheAshokSinghal) January 12, 2025

Only Saikia and Bhatia contested for all their respective categories, thus there was no election. This was an automatic appointment as the only candidates, recognising the office-bearers. Lasted a mere 10 minutes on the Sunday, the Election Officer A.K. Joti officially appointed them as the Special General Meeting of the Board.

Saikia’s promotion to the post of Secretary rather leaves the Joint Secretary’s post vacant, and the now Board has to fill the post within 45 days as per the BCCI constitution.

A former cricket player, Saikia played his life’s first four Ranji Trophy matches for Assam between 1990 and 1991. Since making his move into cricket administration, he has significantly changed the present-day scenario of cricket sports in Assam. Meanwhile, he completed the Barsapara Cricket Stadium as Assam cricket association secretary and also completed the Amingaon Cricket Stadium in North Guwahati.

He was also instrumental in establishing Indian Premier League in the Northeast region. With the work started from 2020 itself, it’s only now that Guwahati, however, saw live action of the IPL in 2023 when Rajasthan announced the city as its new base.

The structural change in women’s cricket was seen while he was the General Secretary of the ACA. There were two bright cricketers in the country for whom his sheer hard work brought to light- Jintimoni Kalita and Uma Chettry. While all-rounder Jintimoni has been acquired by the Mumbai Indians franchise for the inaugural Women’s Premier League, wicketkeeper Uma is now a regular in the Indian Women’s team.

“Within the same period, in the Asian Cricket Academy tenure, around 2019-2022 we began executing this inter-district tournament with an 18-district-participant, the Challengers Trophy among the top six, which had a pool of around 90 girls. Prior to our joining the academy, there was no structure for ladies’ cricket. In fact, girls would come and straightaway play for the state. There was no way to assess the player’s strengths, so these tournaments have really helped the girls to go out there, play and get noticed by the selectors,” Saikia told The Statesman when asked about the surge of female progress in the game.

“Today we got girls: Uma, Jinti-encouraging signs for them also in state’s and country’s context women’s cricket.”

Saikia wears many hats showcasing his passion. He is a seasoned lawyer, sport manager, and rider who loves travelling.

“I compartmentalize my time frame and workload. When I am at the ACA Stadium or at the BCCI office, in all honesty, I focus only on the work there. I am totally a different person once I am out of the cricket offices. Likewise, when I am at the court from 10:30 am until 4:15 p.m., I am totally a lawyer. Once I am out of the court and reach the Guwahati Town Club, I mix up well with people out there, and when I am with my biker gang I’m a traveler. That is the best possible way to manage stress. Recharge your batteries, ” he said.

For the time being, he is serving as Attorney General before the Assam Government, and his affiliation with the Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma is known to be very strong.
“I go way back with the CM; we knew each other in our school days though we went to different schools. And thus, I know him closely for more than 40 years now. We used to practise before the Court, fought with many cases, he always says 80 percent of his law books are in my library, he was not able to manage his books,” he added.

Bhatia won’t be a new face to cricket administration; this young businessman would like to use the learning of his late father Baldev Singh Bhatia in cricket administration. Baldev Singh Bhatia, who was noted for his significant services to the Chhattisgarh cricket administration association, had played an essential role in putting Chhattisgarh on the BCCI full-membership map in 2016.

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Conclusion:

Story in itself is about Devajit Saikia, who made the journey from the iconic tea gardens located in Assam to the secretariat of the BCCI. Maintaining a high level of energy levels due to his inward appreciation about these developments, he is in the eyes of many person one of the most significant administrators of the modern cricketing era.

His appointment as Secretary for the world’s wealthiest cricket board can be considered a major milestone by focusing not only on his capabilities but also on bringing attention to the unexploited cricketing potential in northeastern states. With this zestful work environment under the guidance of Saikia, the BCCI actually looks forward to a future more inclusive and more proactive in Indian cricket.

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