The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) on Friday invited applications for the Head of Sports Science and Medicine position at the Centre of Excellence (CoE) in Bengaluru. The move comes amid the constant scrutiny around the rising injuries in Indian cricket and the subsequent lengthy rehab periods. 2026 has seen a lot of scrutiny fall on the BCCI’s CoE as injuries continue to mount, and earlier this year, the flak was such that board secretary Devajit Saikia and VVS Laxman had to address the media, detailing the work being done at the centre. At that time, the former Indian batter Laxman had said that the CoE is more than a “rehabilitation centre.”
When Laxman said there was no miscommunication among the players, the team management, and the CoE regarding injury management, he revealed that the BCCI has been unable to fill the Head of Sports Science position since Nitin Patel resigned last year.
“After Nitin Patel’s exit, we didn’t get anyone. With Andrew Leipus, everything was agreed upon. But at the last minute, he backed off, citing family reasons. We then had a panel comprising Dr Dinshaw Pardiwala, Dr Ashish Soni and me, which shortlisted five candidates,” Laxman had told reporters.
A month after this interaction with the media, the BCCI finally invited applications for the position. The move also comes a few days after the BCCI held a review meeting where injury management was discussed by the board secretary, Laxman, head coach Gautam Gambhir and ODI, Test and T20Is captains Shubman Gill and Shreyas Iyer.
Recently, four players, namely Jasprit Bumrah, Harshit Rana, Washington Sundar and Nitish Kumar Reddy, were included in the squad for the series against Afghanistan, subject to fitness clearance. And just days ahead of the contest, Harshit Rana was ruled out after another setback in his recovery and was replaced by Yash Thakur for the Afghanistan assignment and the Asian Games.
All you need to know about the vacancy
The successful candidate, who will serve as Head of Sports Science and Medicine, will be expected to shape the BCCI’s long-term approach to player health, injury prevention, rehabilitation, and physical development. Player welfare will be at the heart of the position. The appointee will be responsible for strengthening systems to reduce injury risk, manage rehabilitation and recovery, monitor wellness and illness, and support players’ long-term physical development.
The role will also involve overseeing budgets, departmental planning, professional development and performance management. The appointee may additionally represent the BCCI as a spokesperson on performance-related matters when required.
For the senior position, the BCCI has stipulated a master’s degree in Sports Science or a related field, with a doctorate as an added advantage. Candidates must have at least five years of experience in strategic leadership roles involving multidisciplinary performance teams. Applicants are also expected to have experience working with high-performance teams in professional or Olympic sport, along with a current professional accreditation or licence in a relevant Sports Science or Medicine discipline.
The BCCI has further listed experience as a Chief Medical Officer or Medical Director, specialist recognition in Sport and Exercise Medicine, and expertise in medical and clinical governance as desirable qualifications.
