The BCCI is still looking for the right person to head the sports science and medical set-up at its Centre of Excellence in Bengaluru, with secretary Devajit Saikia reiterating that the board would rather wait for the right candidate than rush the appointment.
Saikia had made a similar point during his visit to the facility in Bengaluru last month, and on Thursday again stressed that the vacancy was not holding up the functioning of the CoE.
“The vacant position of the head of the sports science is not a deterrent to our activities in CoE,” Saikia said. “The proper qualified person should be positioned (for that role), not anyone just having the qualification is fit for that.”
The CoE currently has around 16 people working across fitness and rehabilitation, Saikia said. What the BCCI needs now is a senior professional to oversee the entire operation.
“In that aspect, we have about 16 persons in place to maintain the fitness level or the rehab or the prehab facilities in COE, but one important person is required to supervise that,” he said.
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The search, however, has not been straightforward. Saikia said candidates with the required level of expertise are difficult to find, both in India and overseas.
“That kind of person is very short in number in India as well as in the whole world,” he said.
The BCCI secretary said the board would restart the exercise to identify a suitable candidate at the earliest.
“So we are trying to find that kind of a person at the earliest possible time and once again we will start the exercise to find a person who can fit into that position of the head of sports science and medicine in COE,” he said.
The appointment assumes greater significance with player workload, injuries and rehabilitation becoming an increasingly important part of the BCCI’s planning. Saikia said these issues were also discussed during Thursday’s review meeting, with the board looking at ways to better manage players within the existing international calendar.
Published on Sep 03, 2026
