BCCI extends chief selector Agarkar’s contract days after Asia Cup squad announcement
&imwidth=600&imheight=450&format=webp&quality=medium "BCCI extends chief selector Agarkar’s contract days after Asia Cup squad announcement")
BCCI extends Ajit Agarkar’s contract days after Asia Cup squad announcement Photograph: (AFP)
Since taking over the role in June 2023, the Agarkar-led selection panel has overseen a transitional phase and helped shape different Indian teams across formats.
Ajit Agarkar, the BCCI chief selector, will continue in his role for another year after the Indian Cricket Board extended his contract till June 2026. Just two days after he and T20I captain Suryakumar Yadav decided on the final 15 for the 2025 Asia Cup, which also made headlines for all good, bad, and ugly reasons, Agarkar received a significant vote of confidence from the apex body. His contract extension news, which came to light on Thursday (Aug 21), was reportedly finalised much earlier, even before the IPL 2025 season.
An Indian Express report suggests that the BCCI had decided to retain Agarkar (in his role) a few months ago, impressed by his handling and control of Indian Cricket operations thus far. Since taking over the role in June 2023, the Agarkar-led selection panel has overseen a transitional phase and helped shape different Indian teams across formats. While India’s T20I side ended the country's dry run for an ICC trophy with a second T20 World Cup crown in the Americas last year, the ODI team made it two in two years by winning the Champions Trophy in the UAE early in February 2025.
During Agarkar’s tenure, several strategic leadership transitions have also taken place, including the appointment of Shubman Gill as Rohit Sharma’s replacement as the new Test skipper. The Agarkar-led panel also appointed ace batter Suryakumar Yadav the new T20I captain, with reports of Shreyas Iyer leading the race to become the next One-Day skipper have also made headlines.
However, contrary to all the highs, several Indian stalwarts, including Rohit, Kohli and Ravichandran Ashwin, all announced their Test retirements during Agarkar’s tenure as the chief selector. While Ashwin decided to step aside midway through the tour Down Under late last year, Rohit and Kohli shocked the cricket world with their Test retirements sometime during the latter stage of IPL 2025.
A latest outburst of Agarkar’s Asia Cup selection conundrum
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The Agarkar-led selection panel named a potent 15-man squad for the upcoming 2025 Asia Cup starting September 9 in the UAE, sparking an online debate over Shreyas Iyer's non-selection from the continental tournament.
Also read | After Asia Cup snub, ex-Pakistan captain joins CPL side as Fazalhaq Farooqi's replacement
Despite leading two different IPL teams to the final in back-to-back seasons, winning the title with one (KKR in 2024) and being among the top run-getters this IPL season, Iyer found no place in India's 15-man squad, with Agarkar saying, ‘It’s no one’s fault.’
Meanwhile, Iyer is expected to be back for the away three-match ODI series against Australia in October.
