India’s first women’s cricket captain, Shantha Rangaswamy, has made history in the cricket administration after she was elected as president of the Indian Cricketers’ Association (ICA). Along with her, ex-Delhi opener Venkat Sundaram is set to take on the role of secretary, while Deepak Jain will join as treasurer, Jyoti Thatte and Santhosh Subramoniam join as member representatives.
Shantha Rangaswamy’s Historic Step in Cricket
In one of the historic moments that has ever happened in the cricket fraternity, former India women’s cricket captain Shantha Rangaswamy has been elected as the president of the Indian Cricketers’ Association (ICA). With the historic step for women’s representation in cricket administration, former Delhi opener Venkat Sundaram is set to join the position of the secretary of the ICA.
The election is regarded as a historic move in the field of gender inclusivity in Indian cricket, as this time it will be the first time that the ICA is going to be headed by a female president. The association also has Deepak Jain as the treasurer, Jyoti Thatte, and Santhosh Subramoniam as member representatives.
The ICA Board has also proposed Sudha Shah and Shubhangini Kulkarni, who are both former India women’s team captains, to represent the association in the Apex Council of BCCI and the IPL Governing Council, respectively. The Hyderabad Cricket Association will have V Chamundeswara Nath to represent the men in the BCCI Apex Council.
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Here is a list of the newly elected Office Bearers of the Indian Cricketers’ Association for the term 2025-28:
S.N. | Position / Role | Name |
1 | President & Director | Ms. Shantha Rangaswamy |
2 | Secretary & Director | Mr. Venkittu Sundaram |
3 | Treasurer & Director | Mr. Deepak Jain |
4 | Member Representative & Director | Ms. Jyoti G. Thatte |
5 | Member Representative & Director | Mr. Santhosh Subramoniam |
6 | ICA Male Representative to BCCI Apex Council | Mr. V. Chamundeswaranath |
7 | ICA Female Representative to BCCI Apex Council | Ms. Sudha Shah |
8 | ICA Representative to IPL Governing Council | Ms. Shubhangi Kulkarni |
Following the completion of the election of the president, ICA in the press release stated, “This election marks a notable moment for the ICA, with two women now serving on the ICA Board, and for the first time, a female president and a female nominee to the IPL Governing Council – reflecting the Association’s commitment to inclusive representation and progressive leadership.”
Shantha Rangaswamy, India’s first-ever women’s captain, has been elected president of the Indian Cricketers’ Association#ShanthaRangaswamyhttps://t.co/NKZhqWSL4z
— India Today Sports (@ITGDsports) October 17, 2025
Who is Shantha Rangaswamy?
If you have been following Indian cricket for a long time, you must have been familiar with the name Shantha Rangaswamy. Rangaswamy was born in 1954 in Chennai. who became India’s first women’s Test captain in 1976, leading the team to victory ot the first-ever Test victory against the West Indies. Being an all-rounder, she played a total of 16 Test matches between 1976and 1991, where she smashed 750 runs and took 21 wickets. In addition to this, Shantha Rangaswamy’s century against New Zealand in 1977 was the first-ever century hit by an Indian woman in a Test match.
Talking about the ODI format, she has played 19 ODI matches from 1981 to 1986. With her brilliance on and off the field, she has also won the Arjuna Award in 1976, being the first woman cricketer to receive the award. Similarly, in 2017, she was honored with the Lifetime Achievement Award for Women by BBCI, which further solidifies her legacy in the sport.
Following retirement from cricket as a player, Rangaswamy dedicated her life to being around cricket, either as a coach, selector, or commentator.
Amit Mishra’s Take
I feel so proud seeing the women taking charge of one of the cricket administrations since Shantha Rangaswamy being elected as the president of the Indian Cricketers’ Association is a huge milestone in the cricket fraternity. With her taking the role of president of the ICA, she has inspired millions of young and aged women to step further in life in any profession without caring about what others think.
This historic moment will certainly be etched in the history books, and with this move, more women are set to take on the different positions of the cricket administration in the coming days.
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