Hubballi (Karnataka) [India], February 28 (ANI): The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) secretary Devajit Saikia has highly praised his predecessor and current International Cricket Council (ICC) chairman Jay Shah for transforming Jammu and Kashmir cricket after J&K won their maiden Ranji Trophy title on Saturday, defeating Karnataka.

Saikia highlighted that the Jammu and Kashmir High Court directed BCCI to intervene in May 2021 in the J&K cricket. Shah, then BCCI secretary, took charge, visiting J&K and forming a 3-member committee led by Mithun Manhas to oversee cricket operations.

Saikia credited Shah and Manhas' hard work and planning for J&K's Ranji Trophy win, saying it's a result of focused efforts and dedication, and after a lot of hard work for the last 4-5 years, today is the day when they have got the fruit, the glorious crown winning the Ranji Trophy.

The Paras Dogra-led Jammu and Kashmir scripted a fairytale ending to their 67-year wait, defeating the powerhouse Karnataka. Playing their first-ever Ranji final, Jammu and Kashmir were crowned champions by virtue of their massive 291-run first-innings lead, a gap that proved insurmountable for the eight-time champions, Karnataka, led by Devdutt Padikkal.

'J&K administration was in a mess in 2019/20, and a lot of litigations were going on in the court. Therefore, ultimately, the J&K High Court passed an order sometime in May 2021, directed BCCI to step into the activities and day-to-day management of cricket in J&K. The present ICC chair, Mr Jay Shah, was the secretary of BCCI. He took active interest and he visited J&K himself and got the information from the ground zero level and he found out that everything was not going in the right way in J&K cricket and unless BCCI as per the direction of the Honorable High Court of J&K steps in, the cricket will not improve and the cricketers will be the biggest sufferers,' Saikia told ANI.

'So Jay Shah took an initiative, and he constituted a three-member committee with our present BCCI president, Mr Mithun Manhas, Brigadier Anil Gupta and another person. A three-member subcommittee was constituted, and BCCI, through Jay Shah's initiative, had entrusted them to take charge of day-to-day activities with active involvement of BCCI in all cricketing matters of J&K,' he added.

'So after a lot of hard work for the last 4-5 years, today is the day when they have got the fruit, the glorious crown they have won through the Ranji Trophy. It has shown the hard work, dedication and brilliant planning of Jay Shah and his team under Mithun Manhas. They have done the things in the right manner without any other collateral interest or any other activities purely focusing on cricket,' Saikia concluded.

Shah's tenure at BCCI was marked by bold reforms, including the adoption of the idea of pay equality and enhanced professional leagues for women cricketers, as well as grassroots investment and civil visibility. This has now empowered Indian women cricketers to take up Cricket.

The launch of the Women's Premier League (WPL) in 2023 marked a seismic shift in the geography of Indian women's cricket. Inspired by the success of the Indian Premier League (IPL), the WPL has sculpted its own dynamic, marketable ecosystem, developed to elevate women cricketers and provide them with professional opportunities. (ANI)