# Jay Shah drove BCCI Centre of Excellence from barren 40 acres

2026-08-10T12:02:35+00:00 | Sports | Indian Opinion Desk

Corroboration: 1 independent outlet

As the BCCI Centre of Excellence (CoE) in Bengaluru nears its second anniversary, former secretary Jay Shah has been credited with pushing the project from a barren 40-acre plot. Current BCCI secretary Devajit Saikia said Shah aligned the Apex Council and cleared legal hurdles to start construction on February 14, 2022. Regularising the idle land was the chief challenge, with many parties trying to reclaim it. CoE head VVS Laxman recalled moving to Bengaluru in December 2021 after Shah and then BCCI president Sourav Ganguly asked him to ensure continuity following Rahul Dravid's appointment as India head coach. Laxman said Shah attended meetings with architects and L&T to oversee every detail. The CoE became fully operational in November 2024.

## Coverage

- rediff.com <https://www.rediff.com/cricket/report/from-40-acres-to-coe-how-jay-shah-brought-bccis-vision-to-life/20260810.htm>
- indiatvnews.com <https://www.indiatvnews.com/sports/cricket/how-jay-shah-played-crucial-role-in-developing-bccis-coe-from-40-acres-barren-land-in-two-years-2026-08-10-1050953>
- timesofindia.indiatimes.com <https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/sports/cricket/news/huge-credit-to-him-vvs-laxman-recalls-jay-shahs-role-in-driving-bcci-coe-project/articleshow/133111385.cms>

Tags: BCCI, Centre of Excellence, cricket infrastructure, Indian cricket, Jay Shah
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