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Brijesh Patel

Brijesh Patel is a former Indian cricketer who represented the India national cricket team in Test matches during the 1970s. A right-handed middle-order batsman known for his stroke play, he later became a prominent administrator in Indian cricket, holding senior positions in the Karnataka State Cricket Association (KSCA), the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), and the Indian Premier League (IPL).

Key Facts

Full name Brijesh Parsana Patel
Born 24 November 1952, Baroda, Bombay State (now Vadodara, Gujarat), India
Batting style Right-handed
Role Middle-order batsman
Domestic team Karnataka
International career 1974–1977 (Test cricket)
Later roles Cricket administrator; chairman, IPL Governing Council

Background

Born in Baroda, Patel moved to Bangalore early in his cricketing life and came to be associated with Karnataka cricket, then a rising force in the Ranji Trophy. He was part of a generation of Karnataka batsmen, alongside Gundappa Viswanath and Syed Kirmani, who helped the state emerge as a domestic powerhouse during the 1970s.

Playing career

Patel made his Test debut for India against England in 1974. Over the next few years he featured in Test series against the West Indies, New Zealand and Pakistan, becoming known for confident strokeplay against pace and spin. His most notable contribution came on the 1975–76 tour of the West Indies, where he played important innings during India's record run-chase at the Queen's Park Oval, Port of Spain, when India successfully chased 406 in the fourth innings of the third Test.

At the domestic level, he was a mainstay of the Karnataka batting line-up in the Ranji Trophy, contributing to the state's title-winning sides during the 1970s.

Administrative career

After retiring from active cricket, Patel took up administrative roles in Karnataka cricket, serving as secretary of the Karnataka State Cricket Association. He went on to hold several positions within the BCCI structure, including involvement with the National Cricket Academy in Bangalore. He served as chairman of the IPL Governing Council, the body that oversees the Indian Premier League, after the league was restructured following the change in BCCI office-bearers in the late 2010s.

Significance

Patel is recognised both as a Test cricketer of the 1970s and as a long-serving administrator who helped shape cricket structures in Karnataka and at the national level. His tenure spans the transition of Indian cricket from an amateur era into a professionalised, commercially driven sport.

References