From Delhi Ranji Star to BCCI President: Mithun Manhas’ Cricket Journey

Mithun Manhas, former Delhi Ranji star and IPL player, is appointed BCCI President. Explore his two-decade cricket career, IPL records, and coaching journey.

Mithun Manhas (Image Source: Google)

Former cricketer, without an Indian cap, Mithun Manhas is now the new President of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI). With this, the BCCI has got another President who has played first-class cricket. He was a versatile middle-order batter who could also bowl off-spin and considered to be unlucky to have played in the middle order in an era when in Team India, No. 3 (Rahul Dravid), 4 (Sachin Tendulkar), 5 (Sourav Ganguly) and 6 (VVS Laxman) were sealed. ‘He was unlucky but someone who was a very intelligent man,’ Akash Chopra says.

Mithun Manhas cricket career is of nearly two decades:

- Played 157 first-class matches, 9714 runs at an average of 45.82 with 27 hundreds and 49 fifties.

- In List A cricket, played 130 matches, 4126 runs at 45.84.

- T20s: Scored 1170 runs in 91 matches.

- He was part of Delhi’s Ranji Trophy-winning side in 2007–08.

First Class cricketers who became BCCI President: S Digvijaysinhji, Anthony de Mello, MK Vizianagaram, Fatehsinhji Gaekwad, Ramprakash Mehra, Raj Singh Dungarpur, Anurag Thakur, Sourav Ganguly, Roger Binny and Mithun Manhas. Many of them didn’t play Tests. It was wrongly reported in the media that he is the first uncapped to be the BCCI President.

IPL cricketer: He represented Chennai Super Kings, Delhi Daredevils, and Pune Warriors between 2008 to 2014. Record: 55 matches, 38 innings, scoring 514 runs at an average of 22.35 and SR of 109+, with a highest score of 42*. Also took 20 catches and failed to claim a wicket in 8 overs bowled.

So, after Sourav Ganguly, he is the second BCCI President to have played in the IPL.

His IPL journey presents very interesting reading. He started with Delhi Daredevils (now Delhi Capitals) at Rs.12 lacs pa contract. He was almost on the bench in the inaugural season, played just one match and his contribution in the debut match was only one catch held. On the contrary played in 19 matches for them in the next two seasons.

He was with the Pune Warriors for the next three seasons at Rs. 30 lacs pa and in comparison, played 20 matches in the first two seasons but only 3 in 2013. In 2014 he was a surprise pick for CSK at the same Rs. 30 lacs salary and was in MS Dhoni’s scheme for the season from start. Played 12 matches but couldn’t encash the opportunity to perform, whenever situation warranted. He remained on the bench for the entire 2015 season. In a major change for CSK, they were banned from 2016-2017 due to a betting and corruption scandal, leading to key players being dispersed among other teams but no one picked Mithun Manhas and with this, his IPL career ended.

Incidentally he is one of the few IPL cricketers, who were also taken as support staff in IPL. Kings XI Punjab, after having struggled for the next two seasons, after reaching the final in 2014, replaced the whole of the coaching staff for the 2017 season. This brought in Mithun Manhas in the role of assistant coach in the team. He was Jammu and Kashmir captain-cum-coach at that time and in the IPL side, worked with J Arun Kumar who was the batting coach.

After two years in that role, he joined RCB as their assistant coach and worked in that same position for the Gujarat Titans also.

Two IPL batting records related to Mithun Manhas are special.

Worst IPL career batting record: Mithun Manhas played 55 matches but batted in only 38 innings. Among those who batted in 38 innings in IPL career, only one player has scored less than his 514 runs. However, among the recognized batsmen, his record is the worst.

Least runs in in IPL career of 38 innings:

• Kuldeep Yadav 201 runs in 98 matches with HS 35*.
• Mithun Manhas 514 runs in 55 matches with HS 42*.
• Shahbaz Ahmed 545 runs in 58 matches with HS 59*
• RM Patidar 1111 runs in 42 matches with HS 112*,
• Among the above, only Mithun Manhas is not active in the IPL at present.
• 500 IPL career runs without a 50: He is one of the few with no IPL 50 in their career record, although recorded 500 runs or more.
• STR Binny 95 matches, 880 runs with HS 48*.
• Abdul Samad 63 matches, 741 runs with HS 45.
• AM Nayar 60 matches, 672 runs with HS 45*.
• PP Chawla 192 matches, 624 runs with HS 24*.
• JP Faulkner 60 matches, 527 runs with HS 46.
• Mithun Manhas 55 matches, 514 runs with HS 42*.
• Washington Sundar 66 matches, 512 runs with HS 49.

All figures are correct upto 2025 season.