Introduction
Jay Amitbhai Shah is an Indian businessman and cricket administrator who was born on September 22, 1988. He has served as the president of the Asian Cricket Council and the secretary of the BCCI since 2019. He is the son of India's Home Affairs Minister, Amit Shah.
Early life
On September 22, 1988, Jay Amitbhai Shah was born into the family of Indian politician Amit Shah and his wife Sonal Shah.
Career
Gujarat Cricket Association (GCA)
Jay Shah joined the Ahmedabad Central Board of Cricket in 2009 and was named joint secretary of the Gujarat Cricket Association (GCA) in September 2013. He worked in tandem with his father, GCA president Amit Shah, to oversee the construction of the Narendra Modi Stadium.
Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI)
Jay Shah became a member of the BCCI's marketing and finance committees in 2015. In September 2019, he announced his resignation as joint secretary of the Gujarat Cricket Association and was elected BCCI secretary the following month. 2022 saw him re-elected in October. Shah oversaw a historic IPL media rights agreement in 2022, elevating the league to the status of the second-most lucrative sports league in the world.
Asian Cricket Council (ACC)
Jay Shah was named President of the Asian Cricket Council (ACC) in January 2021. He was re-elected in January 2024 as a result of other ACC members accepting his proposal to prolong his tenure, which was made by Sri Lanka's cricket leader.
International Cricket Council (ICC)
Jay Amitbhai Shah was chosen to represent the BCCI at ICC meetings in December 2019. He was elected head of the ICC's Finance and Commercial Affairs committee in November 2022 after becoming a member representative on the board by April 2022. He lobbied for cricket's inclusion in the Commonwealth and Asian Games and was instrumental in winning the sport's place in the 2028 Olympics.
Personal life
Prime Minister Narendra Modi and other dignitaries saw Jay Shah's traditional Gujarati wedding to college sweetheart Rishita Patel in February 2015.
Controversies
Defamation case against The Wire
In response to a 2017 report alleging that his company's sales increased 16,000 times after Narendra Modi became Prime Minister, Jay Shah filed a ₹100 crore defamation complaint against The Wire editors. The Gujarat High Court maintained the site's gag order in 2018. The Wire consented to stand trial and abandoned its appeal in August 2019.
Recognitions
The Women's Premier League and a successful World Cup were the reasons for Jay Shah, the Secretary of the Board of Cricket India, being named ‘Sports Business Leader of the Year' at the CII Sports Business Awards on December 5, 2023. He was named the “Game Changer of the Year” at the CNBC-TV18 India Business Leader Awards on May 11, 2023. He was placed #35 in The Indian Express's list of the most powerful Indians in 2024.
In popular culture
Jay Shah had an appearance in a 2021 episode of the documentary Modern Marvels on History TV18, which was about the building of the Narendra Modi Stadium.