Jay Shah receives felicitation from Mumbai Cricket Association

Jay Shah. (Photo by Gareth Copley/Getty Images)

The Mumbai Cricket Association (MCA) has honoured the chairperson of the International Cricket Council (ICC) Jay Shah for his contribution towards the expansion and global outreach of cricket as a sport. The felicitation ceremony preceded the BCCI Annual General Meeting scheduled at the board’s headquarters in Mumbai on Sunday, September 28.

Ajinkya Naik, the MCA president, praised Shah’s continued efforts of nurturing cricket to new levels. He commended his leadership style and vision, which has been displaying significant results since a long time.

“Mr. Jay Shah’s commitment to empowering cricket at every level has been extraordinary. His reforms, especially for women’s cricket, have created opportunities and inspired millions worldwide. As we step into the ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup 2025, it is only fitting that we celebrate his leadership and vision that continue to transform the game,” stated Naik, as quoted by Cricbuzz.

Over the last 10 years, Shah has been one of the most influential architects of modern-day Indian cricket. He has played a transformative role in shaping the trajectory of the sport, and has also subsequently allowed for its multi-level growth in various domains. A cricket-for-all kind of principle has kind of been the centre of his work. He has also worked on making cricket more accessible, equitable and professionally rewarding. He has streamlined homegrown tournaments, with IPL and WPL being at the epicentre of his notable works.

The upcoming Women’s World Cup is a testament of his focus on women’s cricket. While being the former BCCI Secretary, Shah was at the forefront of developing the popularity of the women’s game throughout India. His efforts have born quite good fruit. The Women’s Premier League, which kicked off in 2023, has been a major success and can be attributed to the Gujarat-born’s efforts to grow the women’s game in a bid to bring parity to the game.