ICC announce new Cheif Executive Officer, Know who that Indian is

In a historic announcement on Monday (July 7, 2025), the International Cricket Council (ICC) has selected Indian sports and media executive Sanjog Gupta as its new Chief Executive Officer (CEO). An experienced hand in the world of broadcasting and sports business, Gupta takes over with immediate effect and will be the seventh CEO in ICC's history.

As the CEO of Sports & Live Experiences at JioStar, where he played a crucial part in transforming how sports are watched in India, Gupta has a wide range of experience. The hiring comes after the ICC conducted a comprehensive global search in March 2025 and received over 2,500 applications from 25 countries.

A New Era for Cricket Leadership

ICC Chairman Jay Shah had greeted the appointment with optimism, citing Gupta's "extensive understanding of international sports and M&E (media & entertainment) landscape" as being of key importance to cricket's future.

"Sanjog has huge experience in sports strategy and commercialization that will be hugely beneficial to the ICC," Shah stated. "His enthusiasm for technology and fan experience will prove to be crucial as we seek to expand cricket beyond its current strongholds."

The appointment of Gupta was unanimously approved by the ICC Nominations Committee, which is made up of Deputy Chair Imran Khwaja, ECB Chairman Richard Thompson, SLC President Shammi Silva, and BCCI Secretary Devajit Saikia. Having been approved by Jay Shah, the appointment was confirmed by the entire ICC Board.

From Journalist to Global Cricket Executive

Sanjog Gupta's career first started in journalism, before moving to Star India (now JioStar) in 2010. He had a number of significant leadership positions spanning content strategy, programming, and sports broadcasting, finally becoming the Head of Sports at Disney-Star India in 2020.

He was instrumental in increasing the viewership and commercial size of flagship cricket assets such as the IPL and ICC properties and also drove multi-language, digital-first, and women's sports programming.

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In November 2024, Gupta became the CEO of JioStar Sports after the Viacom18-Disney Star merger, where he emphasized innovation-led expansion and fan-first broadcasting models.

New ICC CEO Sees Fan-Focused, Olympic-Ready Cricket Future

In response to his appointment, Gupta was upbeat and committed to growing the global popularity of cricket. "It is an honor to take charge of the ICC when cricket is on the brink of historic growth," he stated. "With close to 2 billion ardent supporters, mega international events, women's cricket on the upswing, and Olympic entry in Los Angeles 2028, the game is on the threshold of change."

Gupta underscored his ambitions of improving fan engagement, strengthening cricket's roots in core markets, and taking the game into new geographies through innovation, collaborations, and digital technology.

The appointment of Gupta is a sign of the trend towards modernizing cricket's international operations, with a focus on data-driven decision-making, immersive fan engagement, and increased game commercialisation through digital media. His background in starting leagues like the Indian Super League (ISL) and Pro Kabaddi League (PKL) will be used to introduce fresh ideas for cricket administration.

Gupta's media-savvy leadership may prove to be a pivotal element as cricket strives to expand its presence in the Americas, Africa, and Asia-Pacific and looks to be included in the upcoming Olympics.