The Cricket Advisory Committee has recommended Parvinder Awana as Chairperson of the Junior Cricket Committee, with Krishna Das, Rakesh Patel and N. Arjun Yadav confirmed as the three members alongside him. The CAC screened and interviewed applicants before finalising the panel. A fifth member of the Junior Cricket Committee is yet to be named and will be announced shortly.
Awana’s playing career spanned two T20Is for India and 62 First-Class matches in which he claimed 191 wickets as a fast bowler. He represented Delhi, India A and Rest of India in domestic cricket and also turned out for Kings XI Punjab, the franchise now known as Punjab Kings, in the IPL. After retiring from playing, Awana moved into coaching, taking charge of Delhi’s U16, U19 and U23 age-group programmes as well as the India U19 setup and several BCCI and Centre of Excellence high-performance initiatives.
Who are the three members joining Awana on the committee?
Krishna Das is a former fast bowler who represented Assam and Goa across 49 First-Class matches, finishing his career with 166 wickets. He also turned out for India U19 and India A before transitioning into coaching, where he served as bowling coach for the India U19 side and subsequently held the same position with the Uttarakhand Ranji Trophy team.
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Rakesh Patel’s playing career was spent with Gujarat and Baroda, and he featured for India A across the Duleep Trophy, Deodhar Trophy and Irani Trophy. He later built a coaching record spanning U19, U23 and senior setups across both Baroda and Gujarat, and led the Baroda U23 side as Head Coach throughout the 2025-26 domestic season.
N. Arjun Yadav accumulated 83 First-Class matches during his career with Hyderabad and was part of India’s U19 World Cup-winning squad in 2000, one of the defining achievements of his playing days. Following his retirement, Yadav moved into coaching and held the Head Coach position for both the Hyderabad senior and U23 teams. He has additionally served as a BCCI Match Referee since 2022.
What is the background to the CAC selection process?
The Cricket Advisory Committee carried out a structured recruitment exercise that involved screening candidates and conducting formal interviews before arriving at its recommendations for the Junior Cricket Committee. Interviews for the junior selection panel had been scheduled for October 12, 2026, with a number of candidates having applied for the available positions.
The four confirmed appointments collectively bring together substantial domestic playing experience and age-group coaching credentials across fast bowling, batting and administration. Once the fifth member is announced, the Junior Cricket Committee will be at full strength ahead of the upcoming junior cricket calendar. The complete panel as confirmed stands as: Parvinder Awana (Chairperson), Krishna Das, Rakesh Patel and N. Arjun Yadav.
