ICC Chairman Jay Shah wins the 'Indian of the Year' Award

Overview

• Jay Shah, the Chairman of the ICC, has been handed the 'Indian of the Year' Award for 2025 for his contribution to cricket
• The former BCCI Secretary played a key role in the advancement of many key developments in Indian Cricket
• He was responsible for the launch of the WPL, the implementation of equal pay for male and female cricketers, and so on

Jay Shah, the Chairman of the ICC, has been handed the 'Indian of the Year' Award for 2025 for his contribution to cricket. The former BCCI Secretary played a key role in the advancement of many key developments in Indian Cricket. He was responsible for the launch of the WPL, the implementation of equal pay for male and female cricketers, and so on.

In his tenure as the BCCI Secretary, Shah brought many changes to Indian cricket. Two of the key features were the launch of the WPL and a rise in pay for the Women's cricketers. Jay played a key role in the return of cricket to the Olympics, which will headline in Los Angeles in 2028.

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Shah was also key in making IPL the second biggest sports league globally and ensured the development of a world-class training facility in Bengaluru at the NCA. Due to all of these initiatives, Jay was recognized by CNBC TV18, which nominated him for the award for the year 2025.

"My two favourite decisions have been on the pay parity and launching WPL," - Jay Shah

After bagging the award, the ICC Chairman addressed the media and expressed his happiness. The former BCCI Secretary hoped to contribute more towards cricket and mentioned two of his favorite decisions among the lot. He claimed that the launch of WPL and pay parity for women changed Indian cricket for good.

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Jay added that the results were visible, given the women's team gave competiton to the men's team. "My 2 favourite decisions have been on the pay parity and launching WPL - you saw the result. The women's team gave the men's team competition," Shah said on CNBC TV18's award show.