Sanjog Gupta will step into the ICC hot-seat next month, becoming the governing body’s seventh chief executive and the first to arrive directly from a broadcast and digital background. The 43-year-old, presently CEO, sports and live experiences, at JioStar, replaces Geoff Allardice, who left in January after three years in charge.
“It is a privilege to have this opportunity, especially at a time when cricket is poised for unprecedented growth and enjoys the passionate support of almost 2 billion fans worldwide,” Gupta said soon after his appointment was ratified by the ICC board. Much of his early brief will revolve around building on that figure.
Key facts first
• Start date: 7 July 2025
• Outgoing CEO: Geoff Allardice (interim from 2020, permanent from 2021)
• Recruitment: more than 2,500 applications from 25 countries, 12 on the final shortlist
• Selection panel: Imran Khwaja, Richard Thompson, Shammi Silva, Devajit Saikia – unanimously nominated Gupta
• Formal sign-off: ICC chair Jay Shah
Shah welcomed the appointment in typically straight terms: “I am pleased to announce that Sanjog Gupta has been appointed as the CEO of the ICC. Sanjog brings extensive experience in sports strategy and commercialisation, which will be invaluable for the ICC. His deep understanding of the global sports as well as M&E landscape combined with his continued curiosity about the cricket fan’s perspective and passion for technology will prove essential in our ambition to grow the game in the coming years. Our goal is to move beyond traditional boundaries and establish cricket as a regular sport in the Olympics, growing its expanse across the world and deepening its roots in its core markets.”
How Gupta got here
Best known in India for revamping live cricket coverage – interactive feeds, vernacular commentary, data-heavy analysis – Gupta has spent nearly two decades inside the broadcast world. Colleagues point to his ability to translate board-room strategy into on-air execution. One former coworker described him, only half-jokingly, as “the bloke who can explain latency, sponsorship and power-plays in the same sentence”.
The ICC sees those skills as central with Los Angeles 2028 looming. Cricket’s Olympic debut should, in theory, open doors to US broadcasters and fresh commercial streams. “These are exciting times for the sport as marquee events grow in stature, commercial avenues widen and opportunities such as the women’s game scale in popularity. Cricket’s inclusion in the Los Angeles 2028 Olympic Games and the rapid acceleration of technology deployment/adoption could act as force-multipliers for the Cricket movement around the world,” Gupta noted.
Immediate challenges
1. Finalise media-rights deals for the next cycle, especially in the United States.
2. Work alongside the MCC and national boards on tweaks to playing conditions – slow over rates remain a sore.
3. Navigate the crowded men’s calendar. India, England and Australia all want bilateral windows; franchise leagues will not shrink voluntarily.
4. Ensure the women’s game receives more than lip service once the novelty wears off.
Shah hinted at Olympic ambitions, but continents that are yet to taste regular ICC events also sit high on the agenda. One associate board chief said privately: “A rights specialist in the CEO chair might be the signal that we finally get sharper about digital reach in Africa and the Americas.”
What the experts say
• Lisa Sthalekar, former Australia captain, believes Gupta’s broadcasting past could help the women’s game: “He understands pictures and packaging. If you can show professional standards consistently, you bring sponsors along.”
• Harsha Bhogle, broadcaster: “Gupta has always argued that cricket needs to tell its own story better. Now he gets the budget to try.”
Some caution remains. Previous chiefs arrived with strong résumés yet found the politics of 12 Full Members tricky to tame. A finance officer at one Test board remarked: “Commercial nous is great, but you still need Sri Lanka and Pakistan voting the same way when push comes.”
Inside the recruitment
The ICC called it “a global recruitment process”. More than 2,500 applicants is impressive on paper, although insiders say only a handful had genuine cricket experience. Even so, whittling the list to 12 before detailed interviews took two months. Khwaja, Thompson, Silva and Saikia made the final recommendation, then Shah conducted a separate round of chats ahead of the full Board vote.
That vote was a formality, though not unanimous at first pass – two directors reportedly asked for extra financial projections before saying yes. One board source described the back-and-forth as “healthy scepticism rather than a revolt”.
Looking ahead
The new chief executive formally arrives on 7 July, giving him less than 100 days until the men’s Champions Trophy and barely a year before LA28 qualifying events. A packed diary awaits, but Gupta appears keen to keep talk measured. As he signed off his statement, he spoke of “building on a solid foundation” rather than tearing structures down. Time will tell if steady wins the race.
