Sanjog Gupta named new ICC chief executive

Sanjog Gupta, currently the CEO, sports and live experiences at JioStar, will take over as the seventh CEO of the ICC on July 7, replacing Geoff Allardice, who 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.

"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 commercialisation, which will be invaluable for the ICC," Jay Shah, the ICC chairman, said in a statement. "His deep understanding of the global sports as well as M&E landscape combined with his continued curiosity about the cricket fan's perspective and passion for technology will prove essential in our ambition to grow the game in the coming years.

"Our goal is to move beyond traditional boundaries and establish cricket as a regular sport in the Olympics, growing its expanse across the world and deepening its roots in its core markets."

Gupta's appointment follows what the ICC called "a global recruitment process", that was set in motion in March this year. "The role attracted over 2500 applications from candidates across 25 countries, reflecting the international appeal and significance of the position," the ICC said. "Candidates ranged from leaders associated with sport's governing bodies to senior corporate executives from across sectors."

As explained by the ICC, 12 candidates were shortlisted, and a nominations committee comprising ICC deputy chair Imran Khwaja, ECB chair Richard Thompson, SLC president Shammi Silva and BCCI secretary Devajit Saikia, conducted the next stage of the process before unanimously recommending Gupta. This was subsequently approved by Shah "after further assessment and evaluation, after which it was ratified by the full ICC Board".

"It is a privilege to have this opportunity, especially at a time when cricket is poised for unprecedented growth and enjoys the passionate support of almost 2 billion fans worldwide," Gupta said. "These are exciting times for the sport as marquee events grow in stature, commercial avenues widen and opportunities such as the women's game scale in popularity. Cricket's inclusion in the Los Angeles 2028 Olympic Games and the rapid acceleration of technology deployment/adoption could act as force-multipliers for the Cricket movement around the world."

Of Gupta's career leading up to the elevation as ICC chief executive, the statement said, "Sanjog Gupta has been a driving force behind the transformation of sports broadcasting in India and globally. Sanjog has played a pivotal role in shaping the continued growth of marquee cricket properties such as ICC events & IPL, establishing domestic sports leagues like PKL and ISL, furthering the popularity of global sporting events such as Premier League and Wimbledon and scaling the business across consumer and commercial objectives.

"He began his career as journalist and joined Star India (now JioStar) in 2010. Over the years, he held multiple leadership roles in content, programming and strategy before becoming Head of Sports at Disney & Star India in 2020. Under his stewardship, the Sports portfolio at Star India scaled across consumer and commercial objectives with a strong emphasis on long-term growth and operational efficiency. Notably, he played a crucial role in developing and executing multi-language, digital-first, and women-centric sports coverage.

"Sanjog was appointed CEO of JioStar Sports in November 2024 following the merger of Viacom18 and Disney Star, forming a powerful new sports media entity. Known for combining business acumen with creative storytelling, he has consistently delivered innovation-led growth across media and sports ecosystems."