BCCI's search for SSM head stalls after multiple withdrawals
The BCCI is struggling to fill the Head of Sports Science and Medicine position after multiple high-profile candidates withdrew from the process. VVS Laxman noted that the requirement for a full-time, Bengaluru-based role has been a significant hurdle in securing a replacement.
Why it matters
The vacancy impacts the long-term medical and performance infrastructure of Indian cricket, highlighting the difficulty of recruiting specialized global talent for domestic roles.
The BCCI Centre of Excellence has faced multiple challenges and setbacks while trying to secure its next Head of Sports Science and Medicine. At a media interaction organised at the centre, VVS Laxman, the CoE head, explained how candidates, one after another, came close to replacing Nitin Patel, the previous head of SSM who left the position in March 2025. The closest candidate was notably Andrew Leipus, who worked as the Indian men’s team’s physio between 1999 and 2005, and then at the National Cricket Academy between 2015 and 2017. “Unfortunately, after Nitin left as the head of Sports Science, we didn’t get anyone to fill in those shoes,” Laxman admitted. “We had Andrew Leipus: everything was agreed upon, Devajit (Saikia, BCCI secretary) had two-three meetings, and at the last-minute, Andrew backed off citing family reasons”.
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