NEW DELHI: Former Delhi captain Mithun Manhas has emerged as the leading contender to become the next BCCI president, even as senior administrators and key decision-makers convened an informal meeting in New Delhi on Saturday.

The discussions centred on finalising candidates for the Board’s vacant positions ahead of its annual general meeting scheduled for September 28.

PTI has learnt that those who were in contention for the posts have been summoned for the meeting, with Manhas and the Karnataka State Cricket Association (KSCA) president Raghuram Bhatt among them.

It has now come to light that the BCCI's top post could go to Manhas, who previously served as director of cricket operations with the Jammu and Kashmir Cricket Association (JKCA).

Though Manhas never broke into the Indian team, he carved out a prolific domestic career, featuring in 157 first-class matches and scoring 9,714 runs at an average of over 45, including 27 centuries.

He also represented Delhi in 130 List A and 91 T20 games, apart from stints in the IPL with Chennai Super Kings, the erstwhile Delhi Daredevils, and the now-defunct Pune Warriors.

Meanwhile, former India spinner Bhatt, whose term as KSCA president concludes on September 30, is being considered for one of the other vacant positions.

As things stand now, Bhatt might not stand again in the KSCA election which could happen in October or November.

However, former India spinner Harbhajan Singh, who has been nominated as Punjab Cricket Association’s representative for the AGM, was not a part of Saturday's meeting.

It was not immediately clear as to whether former India skipper Sourav Ganguly, who is representing Cricket Association of Bengal in the AGM, attended the meeting in the national capital.

Former India stumper Kiran More too could be in the fray for one of the posts as the ruling BJP is quite keen to have sportspersons in key slots, even though the political party rarely involves itself actively in the affairs of a sports body.

Currently, the BCCI is looking to appoint a successor to president Roger Binny and a new IPL chairman as incumbent Arun Dhumal is likely to go for a mandatory cool-off period after completing a cumulative period of six years.

Meanwhile, it has been decided that Pragyan Ojha will replace S Sharath in the national senior men’s selection committee headed by Ajit Agarkar.

Sharath will replace VS Thilak Naidu as the junior selection committee chairman.

Former India pacer RP Singh will come in for Subroto Banerjee, and the new members will take over from September 28.

Therefore, the current selection panel will pick the Indian team for the two-match home Test series against the West Indies beginning on October 2.