All posts tagged: Saikia

BCCI secretary Devajit Saikia says KSCA demanded tickets “far beyond” permitted quota

BCCI secretary Devajit Saikia says KSCA demanded tickets “far beyond” permitted quota

2 min readUpdated: May 8, 2026 10:19 PM IST The IPL 2026 final will be held at Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad on May 31. When the BCCI announced the playoffs schedule earlier, it offered only a brief explanation for dropping Bengaluru’s M Chinnaswamy Stadium — home of defending champions Royal Challengers Bengaluru — as the final venue. “Owing to certain requirements from the local association and authorities that were beyond the scope of BCCI’s established guidelines and protocols, the venue has been shifted and reassigned,” the board’s statement read. BCCI secretary Devajit Saikia has now told Sportstar what those requirements were. “As per IPL protocol, we are required to provide only 15 per cent of the total seating capacity as complimentary tickets to the host association. This constitutes the standard protocol; all host state associations receive a 15 per cent allocation of their total capacity in the form of complimentary tickets,” he said. The Karnataka State Cricket Association, he claimed, sought considerably more. “That was much beyond the allocated 15 per cent.” “We wrote …

BCCI to crack down on unauthorised persons travelling in IPL team buses: Saikia

BCCI to crack down on unauthorised persons travelling in IPL team buses: Saikia

2 min readMay 7, 2026 06:47 PM IST With growing concern over the conduct of franchises and players during the Indian Premier League 2026, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has taken note of these irregularities, BCCI secretary Devajit Saikia said on Thursday. “There have been some irregularities noticed in the conduct of a few franchises and players. We have observed unauthorised persons travelling with players, including on team buses, and visiting team hotels,” Saikia told IANS. “We will issue an advisory to all franchises and players. There are certain protocols in place, and if anyone fails to follow them, the BCCI will take appropriate action,” he added. According to multiple reports, several players were seen with their rumoured partners on team buses and accommodating them in team hotels. Ahead of IPL 2026, the BCCI introduced new, stricter regulations for players. Under these rules, players are required to travel in the team bus, and the entry of family members and friends into the Player and Match Official Area (PMOA) before and during …

5 facts about Debabrata Saikia, Assam MLA contesting from Congress stronghold Nazira again

5 facts about Debabrata Saikia, Assam MLA contesting from Congress stronghold Nazira again

The political future of Assam will be predicted on May 4 with the announcement of Assembly election results. As Congress aims to unseat the BJP from power, there are some seats in the northeastern state where the Opposition party enjoys some dominance. Among them is the Nazira constituency, where Congress’s Debabrata Saikia is the sitting MLA. Debabrata Saikia (X) He was first elected as the MLA from Nazira constituency in 2011 and has retained the seat through consecutive victories in 2016 and 2021, establishing a strong and consistent electoral base in Upper Assam. Saikia began his political journey in 1991 through the Assam Pradesh Youth Congress, where he later held key posts including General Secretary (1992–1993) and Vice President (1993–1996). Also Read: Exit poll results 2026: Close fight in Bengal, BJP sweep in Assam; Kerala could see UDF comeback He became the Leader of the Opposition in the Assam Legislative Assembly in 2016, taking on a central role in challenging the state government on governance and policy issues. Although he temporarily lost the position in …

Zubeen Garg’s wife Garima Saikia Garg reveals late singer’s only fear before death: ‘He would show his watch and say…’

Zubeen Garg’s wife Garima Saikia Garg reveals late singer’s only fear before death: ‘He would show his watch and say…’

Singer Zubeen Garg died in Singapore at the age of 52 after a freak scuba diving accident on September 19, 2025. His sudden death left fans in shock across the country. Six months after his passing, his wife, Garima Saikia Garg, spoke about the legendary singer’s only fear before his death while addressing the Panchayat Aaj Tak Assam event. Zubeen Garg’s wife Garima Garg recalls him talking about his only fear. Zubeen Garg’s only fear before death When asked if Zubeen was ever afraid of something or had any phobias, Garima said, “He was never afraid of anything. Abhi kuch saalon se he (Zubeen Garg) used to say, ‘Mujhe agar kabhi kisi cheez se darr hai toh that is (For a few years, he used to say, ’If I am ever afraid of something, it is) time. He would show his watch and say, “Samay se hi mujhe darr hai aur kisi cheez se darr nahi hai (I only fear time, nothing else)’.” She further added, “I don’t know why. Maybe he got a call …

‘We will announce the first 20-day schedule of IPL in 2 or 3 days’: BCCI secretary Devajit Saikia | Cricket News

‘We will announce the first 20-day schedule of IPL in 2 or 3 days’: BCCI secretary Devajit Saikia | Cricket News

2 min readUpdated: Mar 10, 2026 06:12 PM IST With fans eagerly awaiting the announcement of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 schedule, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) secretary Devajit Saikia provided an update on the same on Tuesday. “We will announce the first 20-day schedule of IPL in 2 or 3 days after considering the election dates in a few states and will announce the rest of the tournament schedule later,” Saikia said to ANI. The 2026 IPL season will officially kick off on March 28, broadcaster Star Sports had confirmed on Sunday ahead of the India vs New Zealand ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026 final at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad. The announcement of the tournament’s schedule will be two-phased, with state assembly elections set to take place in Assam, West Bengal, Tamil Nadu and Kerala in the next coming months. Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) are the defending champions. The Bengaluru-based franchise defeated Punjab Kings in the 2025 edition summit clash by six runs in Ahmedabad. Earlier …

Fix errors in electoral roll, says Assam Cong’s Debabrata Saikia in letter to CEC| India News

Fix errors in electoral roll, says Assam Cong’s Debabrata Saikia in letter to CEC| India News

GUWAHATI: Leader of Opposition in the Assam assembly, Debabrata Saikia wrote to the Election Commission (EC) on Monday, citing discrepancies in the draft electoral roll released in December and demanding that the poll panel make the corrections before the final voter list for the state elections is notified. A booth level officer (BLO) interacts with a voter during verification of voter identification cards as part of ‘Special Revision’ in Guwahati (PTI FILE PHOTO) In his letter to chief election commissioner Gyanesh Kumar, Saikia said media reports and ground-level feedback indicated “unauthorised inclusion of non-Assamese speaking voters and other procedural lapses that threaten the integrity of the electoral process”. “Specific instances have come to light where “unknown” persons have been added as voters in households without the knowledge of residents,” Saikia said in a letter to chief election commissioner Gyanesh Kumar. The integrated draft electoral roll for the Special Revision was done following a house-to-house drive carried out by block-level officers in the state’s 126 assembly constituencies from November 22 to December 20. The draft list was published on …

BCCI tells KKR to release Mustafizur Rahman; will allow replacement if needed, says Devajit Saikia | Cricket News

BCCI tells KKR to release Mustafizur Rahman; will allow replacement if needed, says Devajit Saikia | Cricket News

Three-time Indian Premier League (IPL) champions Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) have been instructed by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) to release Bangladesh fast bowler Mustafizur Rahman. The board’s secretary Devajit Saikia has said that it will allow KKR to pick a replacement player if they need. “Due to the recent developments that are going on all across, BCCI has instructed the franchise KKR to release one of their players, Mustafizur Rahman of Bangladesh, from their squad,” Saikia told the news agency ANI. “BCCI has also said that if they ask for any replacement, BCCI is going to allow that replacement.” Mustafizur had been bought by KKR in the IPL 2026 auction which took place on December 16. He was one of seven Bangladeshi players in the auction pool but the only one to find bidders. Mustafizur entered with a base price of Rs 2 crore but ended up Rs 9.20 crore. It was the Delhi Capitals that opened the bidding for the 30-year-old, and Chennai Super Kings challenged, with Mustafizur having …

Ice broken with PCB, options being worked out to bring back Asia Cup trophy: Devajit Saikia | Cricket News

Ice broken with PCB, options being worked out to bring back Asia Cup trophy: Devajit Saikia | Cricket News

The cricket boards of India and Pakistan have managed to “break the ice” on the Asia Cup trophy dispute and will work towards finding a plausible solution in the coming days, BCCI secretary Devajit Saikia told PTI after meeting PCB chairman Mohsin Naqvi on the sidelines of an ICC gathering in Dubai. The Asia Cup Trophy wasn’t presented to India by Naqvi, who also happens to be the Asian Cricket Council (ACC) chairperson, after the winning team refused to accept it from him due to his anti-India position. Suryakumar Yadav’s men defeated Pakistan in the final of the T20 event held in Dubai on September 28. Story continues below this ad “I was a part of both the informal and formal meeting of the ICC. PCB chairperson Mohsin Naqvi was also present. During the course of a formal meeting, it was not on agenda but ICC facilitated a meeting between myself and the PCB chief separately in the presence of a senior ICC office-bearer and another senior official,” Saikia told PTI on Saturday. “It was …

“All The Players…”: BCCI Secretary Devajit Saikia Reiterates Board’s Crucial Guideline

“All The Players…”: BCCI Secretary Devajit Saikia Reiterates Board’s Crucial Guideline

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has really been strict about its rules set for centrally-contracted players when it comes to their participation in domestic matches. As per BCCI’s guidelines that were shared by the Board last year, a centrally-contracted player, who is fit and not in national duty, needs to play domestic cricket for his respective team. Shreyas Iyer and Ishan Kishan didn’t follow the instructions earlier and were thus dropped out of BCCI central contract. After sending the message quite and clear with the list announced in February last year, the Board said, “The BCCI has recommended that all athletes give precedence to participating in domestic cricket during periods when they are not representing the national team.”  Days ahead of the start of Indian Premier League 2025,  BCCI secretary Devajit Saikia has reiterated the Board’s advice. “There’s another important point that we’ve added in our guidelines. All the players, when they are available, have to play in domestic tournaments,’ Saikia told Times of India. However, he also clarified …

BCCI Secretary Devajit Saikia reacts to body-shaming comments on Rohit Shami, says ‘very unfortunate’

BCCI Secretary Devajit Saikia reacts to body-shaming comments on Rohit Shami, says ‘very unfortunate’

Rohit Sharma has been trending ever since Congress national spokesperson Dr Shama Mohamed’s controversial remarks about him. For the unversed, Shama referred to the Indian skipper as ‘fat’ while also calling him the most unimpressive captain India has ever had. BCCI Secretary Devajit Saikia has reacted to the body-shaming comments on India captain Rohit Sharma, calling it ‘very unfortunate’. For the unversed, Congress’ national spokesperson, in a now deleted post on X, referred to Indian skipper as ‘fat’ and also called him the most unimpressive captain India has ever had. Ever since then, she has received massive backlash despite coming up with a clarification later. Devajit Saikia, while speaking to ANI, condemned the comments and also questioned the timing of such a statement. India are set to play the semifinal of ICC Champions Trophy against Australia on Tuesday (March 4). “It’s very unfortunate that this kind of remark for our captain (Indian cricket team captain Rohit Sharma) has come from a person who is on a responsible post, especially at a time when Team India …