Parvinder Awana named BCCI junior men's selection committee chairman
Synopsis
Parvinder Awana, who played two T20Is for India and has spent years coaching Delhi's age-group sides, has been handed one of domestic cricket's most consequential roles — shaping the players who will feed into India's senior pipeline. His first test: picking a squad for the U-19 Asia Cup in Oman next month.
Key Takeaways
Parvinder Awana appointed chairman of the BCCI junior men's selection committee on 23 October 2026 .
Krishna Das , Rakesh Patel , and N Arjun Yadav named as the other three members; a fifth member will be announced shortly.
Appointments made on the recommendation of the Cricket Advisory Committee (CAC) , which screened and interviewed all applicants.
Awana claimed 191 wickets in 62 first-class matches for Delhi and represented India in two T20Is .
N Arjun Yadav was part of India's U-19 World Cup-winning squad in 2000 and has been a BCCI match referee since 2022 .
The panel's first assignment is the U-19 Men's Asia Cup , scheduled from 5–14 November at Al Amerat Cricket Grounds, Oman .
Former India pacer Parvinder Awana was on Friday, 23 October 2026, appointed chairman of the BCCI's junior men's selection committee, with Krishna Das, Rakesh Patel, and N Arjun Yadav named as members. The fifth member of the panel is yet to be finalised, according to a media advisory issued by BCCI secretary Devajit Saikia.
How the Appointments Were Made
The selections were carried out on the recommendation of the Cricket Advisory Committee (CAC), which screened and interviewed applicants before finalising the four names. The BCCI confirmed the appointments through an official media advisory. The new panel's first assignment will be the U-19 Men's Asia Cup, scheduled from 5 to 14 November at the Al Amerat Cricket Grounds in Oman.
Who Is Parvinder Awana
Awana, who represented India in two T20 Internationals, built a productive first-class career with Delhi, claiming 191 wickets in 62 matches. He also turned out for India A, Rest of India, and franchises in the Indian Premier League (IPL), including Kings XI Punjab — now known as Punjab Kings.
After retiring from playing, Awana moved into coaching, working extensively with Delhi's U-16, U-19, and U-23 sides as well as the India U-19 team. He is currently Delhi's senior men's bowling coach, a role he will have to relinquish to take up his new responsibilities as chief selector. He has also been involved in high-performance programmes at the BCCI Centre of Excellence (CoE) in Bengaluru.
The Other Three Members
Krishna Das, a former fast bowler who represented Assam and Goa in domestic cricket, accumulated 166 wickets in 49 first-class matches. He played for India U-19 and India A before serving as bowling coach of the India U-19 side and the Uttarakhand senior men's team.
Rakesh Patel, who represented Gujarat and Baroda, played for India A and featured in the Duleep Trophy, Deodhar Trophy, and Irani Trophy. He has coached both former state sides at the U-19, U-23, and senior levels, and was head coach of the Baroda U-23 team in the 2025-26 season.
N Arjun Yadav played 83 first-class matches for Hyderabad and was part of India's U-19 World Cup-winning squad in 2000. He later represented India A, took up coaching with Hyderabad's senior and U-23 teams, and has served as a BCCI match referee since 2022.
Combined Experience and What It Signals
Collectively, the four-member panel brings a balance of first-class playing pedigree and hands-on experience with age-group cricket. Both Das and Yadav previously featured in the India U-19 men's set-up as players. This depth of junior cricket exposure is seen as central to the BCCI's emphasis on a more structured pathway from age-group to senior international cricket.
The committee's immediate focus will be squad selection for the U-19 Men's Asia Cup in Oman next month, with a broader mandate to shape India's junior men's teams going forward. The appointment of a fifth committee member is expected shortly.
Point of View
Not merely watched it from a distance. His dual background — as a first-class performer and a hands-on junior coach — addresses a long-standing criticism that India's youth selectors often lacked grassroots coaching depth. What bears watching, however, is whether the committee will have genuine autonomy or will function as a ratifying body for pre-decided calls, which has been a recurring concern at the senior level. The Oman Asia Cup is a low-stakes debut, but the real measure will come during U-19 World Cup cycle selections, where career trajectories are shaped.
NationPress
23 Oct 2026
Frequently Asked Questions
Who is Parvinder Awana and why was he appointed BCCI junior men's selection committee chairman?
Parvinder Awana is a former India pacer who played two T20 Internationals and claimed 191 wickets in 62 first-class matches for Delhi. He was appointed on 23 October 2026 on the recommendation of the BCCI's Cricket Advisory Committee, with his extensive age-group coaching record — spanning Delhi U-16, U-19, U-23 and India U-19 — cited as a key qualification.
Who are the other members of the BCCI junior men's selection committee?
The three named members are Krishna Das, a former fast bowler who represented Assam and Goa with 166 first-class wickets; Rakesh Patel, who played for Gujarat and Baroda including the Duleep, Deodhar, and Irani Trophies; and N Arjun Yadav, a Hyderabad cricketer and member of India's U-19 World Cup-winning squad in 2000. A fifth member is yet to be announced.
What is the first task of the new BCCI junior men's selection committee?
The committee's immediate assignment is to select squads for the U-19 Men's Asia Cup, scheduled from 5 to 14 November 2026 at the Al Amerat Cricket Grounds in Oman.
Will Parvinder Awana continue as Delhi's bowling coach after his BCCI appointment?
No. Awana currently serves as Delhi's senior men's bowling coach, but he will have to step down from that role to take up his new position as chairman of the BCCI junior men's selection committee.
How were the BCCI junior men's selection committee members chosen?
The appointments were made on the recommendation of the Cricket Advisory Committee (CAC), which screened and interviewed all applicants before finalising the names. The BCCI confirmed the selections via an official media advisory issued by secretary Devajit Saikia.
