BCCI opens hiring for a head of sports science and medicine at its Bengaluru academy

The BCCI has invited applications for a head of sports science and medicine at its Centre of Excellence in Bengaluru, with the window closing on 30 September

The Board of Control for Cricket in India advertised the post on 11 September, a single opening based at the Centre of Excellence in Bengaluru and reporting to the academy's head of cricket.

The appointee will "provide strategic and operational leadership to BCCI's Sports Science and Medicine services across its elite cricket and CoE programmes", the board said in its release, a brief that runs from the senior men's side to the rehabilitation and age-group work handled in Bengaluru.

It is one of the most senior medical positions in Indian cricket, and it is being filled in the week the men's team gathers in Delhi to open a three-match T20I series against Afghanistan on 13 September.

What the job covers

The role carries line management of four existing positions — the head of physiotherapy at the Centre of Excellence, Team India's head of physiotherapy, and the strength and conditioning leads for both the academy and the senior side.

Beyond staffing, the release lists medical governance, player welfare, injury prevention, rehabilitation and physical development among the core responsibilities, along with departmental budgeting and professional development.

The board also wants the appointee to drive research, innovation and performance benchmarking, working alongside national and academy coaches and the cricket education department.

Who the board is looking for

Applicants need a master's degree in sports science or a related field, with a doctorate listed as preferred, and a current professional accreditation in sports science or medicine.

The BCCI has set a floor of five years in a strategic leadership role managing multidisciplinary performance teams, alongside experience supporting high-performance or Olympic-level athletes.

Experience at a regional performance institute, a background as a chief medical officer and specialist recognition in sport and exercise medicine are all listed as desirable. Candidates must be under 60.

Applications close at 5pm on 30 September.

A department in transition

The advertisement follows the resignation of Team India physiotherapist Kamlesh Jain, who joined the senior setup in June 2022 and is reported to be serving a three-month notice period that the board has yet to formally accept.

Jain succeeded Nitin Patel, who moved to the Centre of Excellence in Bengaluru. The board has drawn no link between the two, and the advertised role sits above the physiotherapy posts rather than replacing either of them.

A busy month at the academy

The Bengaluru facility's medical staff have been unusually visible this month. Harshit Rana sustained a rectus femoris strain while bowling during a match simulation there on 7 September and was ruled out of both the Afghanistan T20Is and the Asian Games, with Yash Thakur named as his replacement in each squad.

Washington Sundar and Nitish Kumar Reddy were reported to have cleared fitness tests and match simulations at the same centre before joining the squad in Delhi.

VVS Laxman, the board's director of cricket at the Centre of Excellence, will himself be away from the academy later this month, having been named head coach of India's men's team for the Asian Games in Aichi-Nagoya.

Why the post matters

The Centre of Excellence has become the board's clearing house for fitness decisions, signing off on which players travel with a squad and which do not.

Whoever takes the new post will own that process, and the medical governance behind it, across every India side the board fields.

Shortlisted candidates will be called for personal interviews once the window closes, with the successful applicant based full-time in Bengaluru.

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