Sanjay Patel is "best person to drive Yorkshire CCC forward" as he is named club CEO
Sanjay Patel has spoken of his “excitement at the potential” of Yorkshire CCC after the term interim was removed from his title of chief executive of the club.
As reported by The Yorkshire Post earlier this month, both Patel and club chairman Colin Graves wanted to make the latter’s tenure at the head of operations permanent, and on Monday, confirmation arrived that it has been.
Patel MBE has officially taken up the role of the club’s group chief executive officer.
His relationship with Graves is strong. Graves appointed him head of The Hundred during their time at the England and Wales Cricket Board, and it was Graves who brought him to Headingley in February 2024, initially as a non-executive director before making him interim CEO following the departure of Stephen Vaughan.
They are aligned strategically on-and-off the field and keen to build on the funds raised by The Hundred.
Yorkshire have gained some £58m from the sale of the franchises including the Headingley-based Northern Superchargers, cash that gives them an unprecedented opportunity to take the club forward in the coming years.
Patel (inset) said: “I’m delighted and am looking forward to working with everyone involved with the club as we look to define what the future looks like for us.
“After a turbulent year the club is in a great place and I am excited about the potential. The passion for the game, the people and the opportunities have made this a challenge I couldn’t turn down, and I’m genuinely excited to play my part in writing the next chapter for cricket in this county.
“I’d like to take this opportunity to thank the board, our staff and players, members and supporters and everyone else that has made the last year at the club so enjoyable. There is some brilliant work taking place that makes Yorkshire cricket what it is, and gives me a lot of optimism for the future.
“The recent sale of the Northern Superchargers has given the club a great opportunity, but it is now imperative that we set the business up to be financially sustainable.
"We’ve got a challenging couple of years coming up with no men’s Test cricket at Headingley in 2027 and 2028, which presents a significant financial challenge and is another reason for us to re-develop our business plan to ensure long-term and sustained success is achievable.
"I am determined to ensure our pathway for boys and girls remains strong and our Yorkshire men and women’s teams are regularly competing for silverware on the pitch.
“I’m confident that the future of the club is bright and am looking forward to playing my part.”
Graves said: “We have no doubt that Sanjay’s impact will be game-changing. I’ve seen first-hand the way that he operates, and I believe he is one of the best leaders in sport.
“The club has been given a lifeline with the influx of capital from The Hundred sale, but we must now set ourselves up for long-term and sustained success, both on and off of the field.
"In Sanjay, we have the best possible person to drive us forward.”