Supreme Court asks AIFF and FSDL to decide on conducting ISL within five days; Verdicts expected on 28th August.
Indian football fans remain uncertain about the future of the Indian Super League (ISL). The Supreme Court, during a scheduled hearing on Friday, instructed the All India Football Federation (AIFF) and league organizer, Football Sports Development Limited (FSDL), to meet and decide how to proceed with the league this year. Supreme Court has asked both the major stakeholders to submit their proposal on the matter in the next hearing scheduled on 28th August. The expiry of the 15-year MRA between AIFF and FSDL on 8th December has been the biggest impediment to getting the 2025-26 ISL season started. While marketing partners FSDL want to extend the contract and a guarantee from the AIFF, the national body has cited the impending SC judgment on its new constitution as the reason behind not signing an extension. In the AIFF Constitution case, the SC bench of Justice Sri Narasimha and Justice Joymalya Bagchi said that the judgment in the matter is ready, but they want to review the new National Sports Governance Bill before delivering a final verdict. All in all, the positive developments in the Supreme Court hint that if everything goes well, the issues related to ISL may get sorted soon, and the league could start in the next few months. Earlier on Thursday, the eleven Indian Super League clubs on Thursday urged the Amici curiae Gopal Sankaranarayanan and Samar Bansal to mention the ongoing crisis in front of the SC as they face an “existential crisis.”
Ajit Agarkar’s two senior national selectors lose jobs
The BCCI on Friday invited applications to fill two vacancies in the five-member senior men’s national selection committee, as well as four positions in the women’s panel. The eligibility criteria remained unchanged from previous years. Applicants must have played either a minimum of seven Test matches or 30 first-class games. Alternatively, candidates with experience in at least 10 One Day Internationals (ODIs) or 20 first-class matches will also be considered. “The contracts of selectors are renewed annually. We have not yet identified which selectors will be replaced, but that process will be undertaken soon,” a BCCI official told PTI. The current men’s selection committee, which recently picked the squads for next month’s Asia Cup, is currently headed by former India pacer Ajit Agarkar and comprises SS Das, Subroto Banerjee, Ajay Ratra, and S Sharath. The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has officially invited applications for positions across its national selection committees, including the high-profile Senior Men’s Selection Committee. The announcement confirms that two members of the current men’s panel, led by chief selector Ajit Agarkar, will be replaced, with one of them being South Zone selector S Sharath, who has already completed his four-year term. In a press release issued on Thursday, the BCCI called for applications to fill two vacancies on the Senior Men’s Selection Committee. The eligibility criteria for these roles include having played a minimum of seven Test matches, or 30 First-Class matches, or a combination of 10 ODIs and 20 First-Class games. Additionally, applicants must have retired from professional cricket at least five years prior and must not have served on any BCCI cricket committee for a cumulative period of five years. Earlier media reports suggested that the current selection committee — comprising Ajit Agarkar, SS Das, Subroto Banerjee, Ajay Ratra, and S Sharath — was under scrutiny. It was reported that changes to the panel could be made at the BCCI’s Annual General Meeting (AGM) in September. According to a report in Hindustan Times, Sharath is likely to be replaced by former India spinner Pragyan Ojha. Sharath, in turn, is expected to take over as the chief of the junior men’s selection committee. While two members of the senior men’s committee are set to be replaced, Ajit Agarkar is likely to receive an extension on his tenure till 2026. Agarkar’s Tenure and Achievements Appointed in July 2023, Agarkar has overseen several key achievements for the national team, including: • Reaching the final of the 2023 ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup • Winning the ICC T20 World Cup in 2024 • Winning the ICC Champions Trophy in 2025 These milestones are believed to be major reasons behind the BCCI’s decision to retain him. “Under his tenure, the Indian team won titles and saw transitions in the Test and T20 formats too. The BCCI extended his contract till June 2026, and he accepted the offer a few months back,” a BCCI official told The Indian Express. In addition to the men’s selection roles, the BCCI has also opened four positions in the women’s national selection committee, and one position in the junior men’s cricket selection committee.
Iyer as ODI captain? BCCI says discussion not yet made
A day after reports suggested that the BCCI was considering Shreyas Iyer as the successor to Rohit Sharma in ODIs, the board has firmly dismissed such claims. On Thursday, a report in Dainik Jagran alleged that Iyer was the frontrunner to take over once Rohit decided on his future in the format. However, BCCI officials have clarified that no such discussion has taken place and instead highlighted Shubman Gill as the natural choice for the role. It is a period of transition for the Indian national cricket team, with a young coach and a team that has seen wholesale changes in the last 12 months as many of its veterans step away and make space for fresh blood. This has been particularly true when it comes to the leadership contingents of the team across the board, with the decisions regarding who the leader of India’s brave new world will be holding a lot of importance for its immediate future; this is not a string of decisions to be taken lightly. If the first half of the year was dedicated to question marks over the Test captaincy for India’s men’s national team, the second half has begun with questions regarding captaincy in ODI cricket. With rumours swirling regarding the oncoming retirement of incumbent ODI captain Rohit Sharma, a fair few names have been thrown around as candidates for limited-overs leadership in recent days. High amongst those is Shreyas Iyer, whose stock as a captain in white-ball cricket is at an all-time high after reaching two consecutive IPL finals with two different franchises. Iyer’s mixture of experience, leadership, and x-factor has made him a sudden crowd favourite to take over the captaincy mantle from Rohit, as and when Team India reaches that bridge. According to the report, a BCCI source told Hindustan Times that there is no reason why Shubman Gill should not be the frontrunner to lead India in ODIs when the time comes. The 25-year-old opener, who was recently appointed as India’s Test captain, also served as vice-captain in the Champions Trophy and is deputy to Suryakumar Yadav in the Asia Cup T20 squad. For now, India continues with a three-captain setup: Rohit Sharma in ODIs, Gill in Tests, and Suryakumar in T20Is. “He averages 59 in ODI cricket and is already the vice-captain of the team. There is no way someone who has recently been appointed Test captain, found some success and has age on his side should not take over leadership in ODI cricket, when the time comes,” stated the source. Whichever player is chosen will have to wait, with Rohit holding on to captaincy as India head to Australia for a three-match series this October.
