Shanta Rangaswamy Chosen As President Of Indian Cricketers' Association

Former India women’s team captain Shantha Rangaswamy has been elected as the new president of the Indian Cricketers’ Association (ICA), becoming the first woman to hold the post. Her appointment marks a significant moment in Indian cricket, especially for women in sports administration. Former Delhi opener Venkat Sundaram has been chosen as the secretary 

Rangaswamy, a pioneer of Indian women’s cricket, played 16 Test matches and 19 ODIs between 1976 and 1991. She was India’s first woman cricketer to receive the Arjuna Award and later served as a national selector and member of the BCCI’s Cricket Advisory Committee.

“It’s an honour to head the ICA. More so as the ICA’s first lady president. It’s an enormous responsibility,” Rangaswamy said after being elected unopposed.

She replaces Ashok Malhotra as the president of the ICA. The ICA elections were conducted online and concluded on October 16 (Thursday). The body was formed in 2019 and is officially recognised by the BCCI. Unlike the players’ union in some other countries, the ICA represents only retired male and female cricketers who have played at the domestic or international level.

The ICA’s main responsibilities include representing the interests of former cricketers, negotiating welfare benefits such as pensions, health insurance, and financial support, and running schemes and events to support players after retirement.

The ICA board also nominated former Indian women skippers Sudha Shah and Shubhangi Kulkarni as its representatives in the BCCI’s apex council and IPL’s governing council.