Mumbai Cricket Association (MCA) has appointed a new president on Tuesday (23rd July). 37-year-old Ajinkya Naik won the elections and now will be taking over the reins of the board. With his being elected, he now becomes the youngest president of the Association.
Ajinkya Naik defeated Sanjay Naik in the elections to become the president of the Mumbai Cricket Association (MCA). He won the elections by 107 votes. He got a total of 221 votes while Sanjay Nail’s got 114 votes. Both of the candidates were incumbent office-bearers of the Association.
Ajinkya Naik was the secretary of the association while Sanjay Naik on the other hand was the vice-president. With the win as the president of the MCA, Ajinkya will be joining the galaxy of individual stalwarts like Sharad Pawar, Vilasrao Deshmukh, Ashish Shelar, and Manohar Joshi among others.
The elections for the President of the Mumbai Cricket Association took place after the untimely death of President Amol Kale. He died of a cardiac arrest in New York after attending the T20 World Cup 2024 match between India and Pakistan at the Nassau County International Cricket Stadium in New York.
While talking about his appointment as the President of the Mumbai Cricket Association Association, Ajinkya Naik called Sharad Pawar as his inspiration, who went on to become the BCCI and ICC president. He added: “Mr Pawar has been an inspiration and leader who went on to become BCCI and ICC head.There were a lot of unseen powers, and slowly you will come to know who they were. Our mentor is Sharad Pawar, sir. We have been following him for long now.”
Ajinkya Naik while further talking about his appointment as the President dedicated his victory to Amol Kale and thanked all the voters for supporting him. He said that his efforts will be to replicate what late Kale did for the Mumbai Cricket Association. He elaborated:
“I thank all the voters who voted in my favour. The victory is a testament to Amol Kale’s exemplary achievement. My efforts will be to replicate his commitment and dedication to improving the quality of Mumbai cricket and take his legacy forward.”
I will request the government organisations and corporates to employ Mumbai players – Ajinkya Naik
Ajinkya Naik also talked about his goal after being appointed as the President of the Mumbai Cricket Association. He said that would be keen to improve the Maidans of Mumbai and would want to provide jobs to Mumbai Cricketers in the government and private sectors. He added:
“Mumbai cricketers do not have regular jobs, they are merely temporary contract employment. I will request the government organisations and corporates to employ Mumbai players,” he concluded.
Mumbai Cricket notably has been a powerhouse in the domestic circuit. They won the Ranji Trophy last year and registered their 42nd title win. Ajinkya Naik was a member of the Apex Council member in 2019. In 2022, he was elected as the MCA’s secretary in 2022.