Saraansh takes Chandigarh cricket body baton from father Sanjay Tandon
Saraansh Tandon (36) today took over the reins of the Union Territory Cricket Association (UTCA), Chandigarh, from his father Sanjay Tandon for the next three-year term (2025–28). He is the youngest president of the UTCA. Sanjay Tandon headed the sports body for three terms, including two after getting the BCCI affiliation in 2019.
Saraansh was the sole contender for the top post, and so were the other office-bearers. The UTCA House picked unanimous office-bearers for the third consecutive time since 2019, during the 45th annual general meeting.
Hari Singh Khurana is the new general secretary, Alok Krishan treasurer, both business associates Sanjay Tandon, Rahul Talwar joint secretary, and Sanjay Daniel Banerjee vice-president.
“People will have opinions. However, my focus is to do better for Chandigarh cricketers,” said the new UTCA president when asked if taking charge from his father will send the right message.
Saraansh, a computer engineer, said, “I have a technical background. In the times of artificial intelligence (AI), we will be using the technology for the benefit of players. The fact is that AI can be very useful for tracking the players’ development.” As a young entrepreneur in 2015, he had developed a mobile application.
On the UTCA not having a stadium or ground, and relying on government and private infrastructure, Saraansh claimed that the association had received in-principle approval of a Rs 20-crore grant from the BCCI to build an indoor ‘stadium’ in the city.
In his address, Sanjay Tandon, who is now a member of the Women’s Premier League (WPL) Governing Council, reflected on the milestones achieved during his tenure and outlined several initiatives that laid a strong foundation for the future of cricket in Chandigarh. He cited the success of ‘Gully Cricket,’ and UTCA’s franchise-based league. The outgoing UTCA secretary Devinder Sharma claimed that player registrations rose from 1,400 in 2023–24 to 2,820 in 2024–25, settling at 2,419 in 2025–26.
Meanwhile, Vinay Grover, a business associate of Sanjay Tandon, was elected unopposed as Apex Council member, while Pawan Kumar Mutneja and Ravinder Singh were chosen for the Governor Council positions. Prof (Dr) Neeru Malik, wife of PU sports director Dr Rakesh Malik, former Mayor Ravi Kant Sharma and Abhimanyu G have been entrusted with the responsibility of overseeing the WPL.
Former Ranji player Rakesh Jolly was once again appointed the chairman of the Cricket Advisory Committee, while Justice Raj Mohan Singh has been appointed as ombudsman and Mehan Associates will be the auditors.
Chandigarh