The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has given chief selector Ajit Agarkar an extension as chairman of the men’s senior selection committee, with his tenure now set to continue until June 2026. A selector can serve for a maximum of five years. Agarkar, who took charge in 2023, has overseen a period of remarkable success and transition for Indian cricket. In his tenure so far, India finished runners-up at the ODI World Cup 2023, ended the long ICC trophy drought by winning the T20 World Cup 2024, and followed it up with the Champions Trophy 2025 triumph earlier this year.
A senior BCCI functionary confirmed the extension to The Indian Express, stating:
“Under his tenure the Indian team had won titles and had seen transition (of the Tests and T20) too. The BCCI had extended his contract till June 2026 and he had accepted the offer a few months back.”
According to reports, the decision to extend his contract was taken well before the start of IPL 2025.
Retirement era and leadership changes
During Agarkar’s period as chief selector, Indian cricket witnessed several major retirements. Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma and Ravindra Jadeja stepped away from T20Is, and later both, along with Ravichandran Ashwin, retired from Test cricket as well.
New leadership has emerged in their absence, with Suryakumar Yadav taking over as T20I captain and Shubman Gill being appointed Test skipper. Suryakumar will lead India in the upcoming T20 Asia Cup 2025, marking his first major tournament as T20I captain. Meanwhile, Gill impressed immediately as Test leader, guiding India to a 2-2 away series draw in England while amassing 754 runs in the series.
Possible changes ahead in selection committees
Currently, the men’s selection committee includes Ajit Agarkar, SS Das, Subroto Banerjee, Ajay Ratra and S Sharath. However, at the BCCI Annual General Meeting in September 2025, changes are expected. Sharath could likely be replaced, and the positions of Das and Banerjee are also under review. Following the meeting, fresh applications for selector posts will be invited.
The BCCI is also set to make changes to the senior women’s selection panel and the junior men’s committee. The current women’s panel comprising Neetu David, Arati Vaidya and Mithu Mukherjee has completed its five-year term. As per board regulations, members cannot serve beyond five years, and new appointments will be invited shortly.
Agarkar along with other selectors recently announced India’s Squad for Asia Cup 2025.
India’s squad for Asia Cup: Surya Kumar Yadav (C), Shubman Gill (VC), Abhishek Sharma, Tilak Varma, Hardik Pandya, Shivam Dube, Axar Patel, Jitesh Sharma (WK), Jasprit Bumrah, Arshdeep Singh, Varun Chakaravarthy, Kuldeep Yadav, Sanju Samson (WK), Harshit Rana, Rinku Singh
Standby players: Yashasvi Jaiswal, Prasidh Krishna, Washington Sundar, Riyan Parag and Dhruv Jurel