Another achievement for former India captain Rohit Sharma. On Tuesday, November 25, the International Cricket Council (ICC) named the brand ambassador for the upcoming ICC Men’s T20 World Cup. The next T20I WC is all set to be co-hosted by India and Sri Lanka from February 7 to March 8 next year. From an event in Mumbai, ICC chairman Jay Shah announced the decision to designate Rohit Sharma as the brand ambassador of the elite tournament.

Under Sharma's leadership, Team India won the 2024 T20 World Cup. As a player, the Mumbaikar first tasted victory in the summit clash when MS Dhoni was the skipper of the Men in Blue. In 2007, Dhoni guided India to their first T20 International title. After that, almost after 17 years, the Indian cricket team claimed their second T20 silverware. The first time, Rohit was an emerging player; in 2024, he was the leader of the team.

The announcement by ICC has made Sharma naturally emotional and dragged him into the memory lane. For the ICC title, Sharma and his boys had to toil a lot. He still can remember those days when everyone was trying very hard for years, but success remained distant.

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"From the bottom of my heart, I’d like to thank the ICC and Jay Shah. It’s a huge honor to be an ambassador of an ICC event. I was just told that no active player has ever been announced as an ICC ambassador, so this is a big privilege for me and a great honor as well. I’m very thankful and very grateful," Rohit Sharma said, thanking the ICC and Jay Shah.

The ICC announcement makes Rohit Sharma emotional

"Winning an ICC trophy is a huge challenge. I’ve seen that personally over the years—I’ve completed 18 years in international cricket. I’ve been fortunate to win two recently and two early in my career. But in the middle, there was a long drought where we couldn’t win an ICC trophy, and I know how desperate we were as players, as a team, and as management to get our hands on one. To finally come out and win those trophies felt really good. You can see the amount of happiness it brings to the country with the sport we play," he added. 

Sharma already retired from the format. So, he will not be part of the team. But he did not forget to wish for the best, hoping for another glorious moment.  

Pratika Rawal, one of India’s young stars in the Women’s World Cup 2025, was first denied her winner’s medal because of an injury that forced her to miss the knockout matches. The talented opener had played a big part in India’s road to victory but was left out of the final celebrations. Thankfully, after Jay Shah’s personal intervention, Rawal will now receive her well-earned winner’s medal.

The confusion began because, under ICC rules, only the final 15-member squad at the end of the tournament is eligible for medals. Since Rawal was replaced by Shafali Verma after her injury, she was not listed in the final squad. Even though she had helped India reach the knockout stage with important performances, she didn’t qualify under the rules.

During the team’s official celebration, Rawal joined her teammates in a wheelchair but did not receive a medal. Later, when she was seen wearing a support-staff medal while meeting Prime Minister Narendra Modi, people began asking questions about why a key player had been left out. The incident quickly sparked debate among fans about how players should be recognized for their efforts, even if they miss the finals due to injury.

Jay Shah Steps In to Help

To clear the matter, Pratika Rawal spoke to CNN News18 and shared that Jay Shah, ICC Chairman and former BCCI secretary, stepped in to fix the issue. “Jay Shah intervened and told us he wants to make sure I get a medal of my own. It is on the way. I will get it soon,” Rawal said. His action ensured that her contribution would not be forgotten.

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Before her injury, Rawal had an amazing tournament, scoring 308 runs in six innings with an average of 51.33. Her 122-run knock against New Zealand was one of the highlights of the World Cup. She also became the joint-fastest woman to reach 1,000 ODI runs. Now, with her medal on the way, Pratika Rawal finally gets the recognition she truly deserves.

Just after Harmanpreet Kaur grabbed the final catch of the Women’s World Cup 2025 against South Africa at the DY Patil Sports Academy in Navi Mumbai, India won their maiden women’s World Cup on the third attempt after missing the last two previous seasons in 2003 and 2017 against Australia and England, respectively. The celebration began as Kaur rushed towards the dug-out, and the celebration extended far beyond the boundary ropes.

As Harmanpreet Kaur stepped up to the podium at the ground to receive the Women’s World Cup trophy from the International Cricket Council (ICC) chairman, Jay Shah, a beautiful scene took place. It just encapsulated the spirit of Indian culture as the video went viral on various social media platforms.

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After shaking hands, Kaur started to bow down to touch Shah’s feet. It’s a traditional Indian sign of showing respect and gratitude. Shah gently stopped her with a smile and declined the gesture. This moment hardly lasted a few seconds, but it deeply resonated with millions watching.

Watch: Harmanpreet Kaur touches Jay Shah’s feet after winning Women’s World Cup 2025 trophy

The emotion gave way to celebration as Harmanpreet turned to her teammates, holding the trophy. The captain playfully teased the teammates in a unique way of handing the title. Later in the evening, the former players, Anjum Chopra, Mithali Raj, and Jhulan Goswami, also shared the emotional moment by celebrating the trophy with the current Indian women’s side.

So Harmanpreet was trying to touch Jay Shah's feet...

Some people mock Jay Shah but the fact is he has done tremendous work for women cricket team, and these players understand it well....pic.twitter.com/oTaWu3o3FQ

— Mr Sinha (@MrSinha_) November 3, 2025

The Blue Brigade batted first to post 298/7 in their allotted 50 overs. Shafali Verma smashed 87 runs in 78 balls at a strike rate of 111.54 with the help of seven boundaries and two sixes. Deepti Sharma cracked 58 runs at a strike rate of 100 with three boundaries and one six. Richa also smashed 34 runs in 24 balls at a strike rate of 141.67, riding on three boundaries and two sixes.

In reply, the Proteas got bundled out for 246. Apart from Laura Wolvaardt’s 101 in 98 balls at a strike rate of 103.06 with 11 boundaries and one six, none of the batters could spend much time in the middle.

The International Cricket Council (ICC) chairman, Jay Shah, is in Navi Mumbai and attended the second semifinal between India and Australia during the Women’s World Cup 2025 final at the DY Patil Sports Academy. The Blue Brigade completed a record run chase to earn victory and qualify for the final against South Africa on November 02 at the same venue.

Shah met the officials of the Cricket Association for the Blind in India (CABI) on Saturday, November 01, where the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) secretary, Devajit Saikia, was also present in the meeting. CABI is organizing the program for the inaugural Women’s T20 World Cup- for the Blind 2025, which is set to begin on November 11 and end 12 days later.

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“Jay Shah was very positive about our cricket, and he and Saikia have promised to provide their full support. Shah told us that he will come for the trophy unveiling in Delhi, which will take place on November 9 or 10, and also try to attend the final, which will be held in Colombo on November 23.” Dr. Mahantesh G. Kivadasannavar, chairman of the CABI, expressed the Times of India (TOI).

Jay Shah to be present in Women’s T20 World Cup 2025 final for blind and unveil trophy 

The tournament, co-hosted by India and Sri Lanka, will be played across New Delhi, Bengaluru, and Colombo from November 11 to 23, 2025. It will have six teams featuring Australia, India, Nepal, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, and the United States of America. The competition will start with the inauguration and four matches in New Delhi till November 13.

The action will later move to Bengaluru for the next four games from November 14 to 16, and will conclude with seven league fixtures, two semifinals, and the final, along with the closing ceremony in Colombo on November 23. On October 29 in Delhi, the CABI unveiled the official jersey of the Indian side for the World Cup.

Shah also met the IOC president to continue their discussions on the re-entry of cricket into the Olympic program for the 2028 edition. It will be making a comeback at the Olympics after 128 years.

Jay Shah, chairman of the International Cricket Council (ICC), met in Lausanne, Switzerland, with International Olympic Committee (IOC) president Kirsty Coventry in order to further develop discussions on the return of cricket to the Olympic Games in Los Angeles 2028.

The discussions stemmed from reaching out to bring cooperation between the ICC and IOC as preparations are advancing for cricket's return to the Summer Games. If cricket takes place in Los Angeles 2028, it would be only the sport's second Olympic appearance, the first being in Paris 1900, when Great Britain defeated France in an exhibition match to earn the Olympic gold medal.

Shah shared on social media about the meeting with Coventry, “It was a pleasure to meet with IOC President Kirsty Coventry to continue our ongoing discussions on the road to LA28 and cricket’s return to the Olympic Games. We reflected on the progress made so far and the substantial role cricket can play in the growth of the Olympic movement”.

Cricket’s Olympic comeback gathers momentum as Jay Shah and Kirsty Coventry discuss LA28 preparations in Switzerland

Shah has been a significant advocate for cricket's inclusion in LA28. Earlier this year, he attended the IOC presidential elections in Greece, where Coventry was elected to be the first woman and African president of the global sporting body. Shah also met former IOC president Thomas Bach in January during the LA28 International Federations seminar, held at the Olympic House in Lausanne, to discuss key areas of collaboration between the two organisations.

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ICC CHAIRMAN × IOC PRESIDENT..!!!!

- Jay Shah meets Kirsty Coventry and discuss cricket's returns in Olympics. pic.twitter.com/y0YDQfzcm9

— Tanuj (@ImTanujSingh) October 30, 2025

At LA28, cricket will be played in T20, with six teams each for men and women, and each gender will have 90 athlete quotas, allowing countries to enter squads of 15 players. The women's medal match is scheduled for July 20, 2028, and the men's final for July 29 - all matches will be played at the Fairgrounds in Pomona, a short drive (50km) from downtown Los Angeles.

The inclusion of cricket in the LA28 Olympics will be a historic landmark in driving the game internationally forward into new markets and will, importantly, leverage the Olympic Games for a larger audience to experience cricket.

The ICC has announced a modified schedule for the ICC Women's Cricket World Cup 2025, which will see Navi Mumbai as one of the five venues for the eight-team event. This change results from the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru being unavailable. Navi Mumbai's DY Patil stadium will host up to five fixtures (Lord's & Oval) - three league-stage matches, a semi-final, and possibly the final on November 2.

The tournament dates (September 30 - November 2) will not change, and the other venues - ACA stadium (Guwahati), Holkar Stadium (Indore), ACA-VDCA stadium (Visakhapatnam,) and R. Premadasa Stadium (Colombo, Sri Lanka), remain unchanged.

ICC chairman Jay Shah regarding the change

ICC Chairman Jay Shah was upbeat about the new destination for women's cricket going forward: "In the past few years Navi Mumbai has shaped into a real home for women's cricket, both in terms of support it has garnered during international matches and the exciting atmosphere present during the matches of the Women's Premier League that seriously uplift the players and attract so many fans. I believe the atmosphere in Navi Mumbai will match the excitement of the larger matches of ICC Women's Cricket World Cup as we bring the tournament back to India after 12 years. "Unfortunately, we were forced to change the venue; however, the tournament will be an important celebration of the women's game to connect new fans."

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ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup 2025 – Full Schedule

League Stage Fixtures

Knockout Stage

Warm-up Matches

The elections for the Associate Member representatives on the Chief Executives’ Comittee have given a surprise to all, with three newcomers earning seats on the influential decision-making of the International Cricket Council (ICC). On the opening day of the annual conference, it was a sight to watch out for regarding the chief executive committee.

Gurumurthy Palani of France, Hong Kong’s Anurag Bhatnagar, and Gurdeep Klair of Canada were elected ahead of the fancied incumbents, Sumod Damodar and Sankar Renganathan. It was a huge surprise in the entire decision of the annual conference as Damodar promised his commitment to the game to keep growing despite the new decision.

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‘My commitment to cricket will continue as the game is bigger than all else.’ Damodar, who is a veteran administrator from the African nation and the only incumbent in the fray, expressed in the discussion. He ended in the fourth position with 16 votes, while Palani and Bhatnagar got 28 votes each. Klair received 21 votes from the 45-member electoral college, with all the members having a tenure of two years.

New ICC Chief Executive Committee elected at the ICC annual conference

The role of the CEC is to promote and develop the game worldwide, besides governing and regulating the sport at the international level. It’s a highly coveted position for the Associated Chiefs and is seen as the stepping stone to get onto the ICC board, where the real power lies in global cricket.

Ranganathan came as a wildcard, and he has also been well-known as an outspoken critic of the USA cricket team, which is now facing suspension. The votes were made up from the 40 associate members and five regional representatives, which are America, Asia, Europe, East Asia-Pacific, and Africa. Under the rules of the ICC, the candidates had to be a representative of the current or past ICC director or an Associate member.

These newly elected members will have a two-year contract as they will also be part of the Associate member committee and will help to govern and regulate the Associate level. The election took place before the new chief executive, Sanjog Gupta, and his Indian counterpart, Jay Shah, along with some other members.

The first Annual General Meeting (AGM) of the International Cricket Council (ICC) under new chairman Jay Shah is set to take place in Singapore from July 17. This four-day gathering marks the beginning of a new phase for international cricket governance and will be the first ICC meeting attended by newly appointed CEO Sanjog Gupta. A number of major issues are likely to dominate discussions at the gathering.

Among the headline stories will be the proposed introduction of a two-tier Test system. The system, said to be favored by Australia and England, envisions a promotion-relegation arrangement in the traditional format. Leading teams such as India, England, Australia, South Africa, and New Zealand would possibly be in a higher tier, with below-par teams in the Test rankings possibly moving to a second level. However, this model will not affect the current World Test Championship (2025–27) and would be implemented only after that cycle, subject to approval.

Expansion is also expected to be a key theme. The T20 World Cup, currently contested by 20 teams, might be expanded to 24 teams after the 2026 edition. Moreover, with cricket returning to the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics, the meeting will also focus on finalizing the qualification structure for the event. These topics highlight the ICC's desire to develop the game globally and also make it more inclusive.

ICC Eyes Membership Expansion and Financial Oversight

Another important discussion point at the AGM will be ICC members, as Zambia is expected to be reinstated as an Associate Member following its suspension in 2019, and East Timor is hoping to become a member of the ICC for the first time. This move will further the ICC’s efforts to globalize the game and support emerging cricket nations. The election of Associate Members onto the Chief Executives Committee (CEC) will also be held during the conference.

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Additionally, financial mismanagement of the 2024 T20 World Cup in the USA and West Indies will come under scrutiny. Allegations of overspending during the tournament reportedly caused former ICC CEO Geoff Allardice to resign earlier this year. Sanjog Gupta will provide a detailed report on the issue, including accountability processes and future financial guidelines.

The International Cricket Council (ICC) will meet for the Annual General Meeting (AGM) from July 17 to 19, which will be hosted by the Singapore Cricket Association. All the representatives from the 108 member nations will meet to discuss various topics, including the potential reforms of the game and the future of women’s cricket. The members will also elect the ICC Chief Executive Committee CEC, whose mandate expired in March 2025.

The members of the Africa Cricket Association (ACA) will also adopt the new ACA Memorandum of Incorporation (MOI) and elect a new ACA Board. The ICC is considering a plan to form a working group to examine the recent recommendations put forward by the Cricket Committee, chaired by Sourav Ganguly, former India Captain.

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They held preliminary discussions on the World Cricket Association (WCA), which has made several recommendations, including a restructuring of the ICC governance and a review of the existing financial distribution model. It will be the start of a new era after the recent appointment of Sanjog Gupta on the heels of Jay Shah’s ascension as ICC chair.

Annual General Meeting 2025: ICC to discuss India-Pakistan tension, Test future

One of the topics of the meeting is expected to be around the T20 qualification tournaments, not rankings, for the determination of which countries will qualify for the Los Angeles 2028 Olympics. The six men’s and women’s T20 competition will be played from July 12 to 29in Pomina. However, it seems like the ICC T20 rankings at the cut-off date are expected to be the likely outcome.

There can be probable discussions around the Test future where they may split the nations into two divisions with a promotion and relegation system, which means the funds will be distributed on the same basis. It has also been revealed that the WTC final is expected to stay in England. No decisions to be made, but discussions could be around the future of the white-ball tournaments. It appears that there is no desire to expand the ODI World Cup, but the momentum has already been built for the T20 World Cup.

Twenty teams will compete at last year’s event, as the number will remain the same for the next season. USA cricket is facing suspension of its ICC membership, which may affect the funding and playing chances of the players. There could also be a sideline discussion on the Asia Cup despite the strained relations between India and Pakistan.

A part of cricket fans are curious about the future of Jay Shah at the International Cricket Council (ICC) as Sanjog Gupta got a brand new appointment letter and is ready to take a new role at the ICC, which left the question, 'Is Jay Shah set to leave the ICC?' across social media platforms. 

As per the latest developments, Sanjog Gupta will take over as the seventh CEO of the ICC on July 7, 2025, as the Chief Executive Officer of the council. Gupta's predecessor, Geoff Allardice, stepped down from the role in January this year after having taken over in an interim capacity in 2020 and then on a full-time basis in 2021. Now, Sanjog Gupta will take over the prestigious job to take ICC forward. 

Is Jay Shah leaving the International Cricket Council? 

The recent rumors about Shah's future spread across the social media platforms are completely baseless. Shah is the chairman of the International Cricket Council, and Gupta is appointed as the CEO of the cricket governing body. So, Shah remains effective in his ICC duties. 

ICC appoints India's Sanjog Gupta as its new Chief Executive. #ICC pic.twitter.com/H41dvAfaaz

— Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) July 7, 2025

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Who is Sanjog Gupta? 

Sanjog Gupta has a very strong curriculum vitae and years of experience in this sector of sports. Previously, Gupta worked as the CEO of sports and live experiences at JioStar. The appointment of Gupta marked ICC's global recruitment process. Jay Shah is pleased to announce the recruitment in the office. 

"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 commercialization, which will be invaluable for the ICC," ICC chairman Jay said in an official statement.