The International Cricket Council's Annual Conference in Singapore kicked off Thursday with a significant election that saw Gurumurthy Palani (France), Anuraag Bhatnagar (Hong Kong), and Gurdeep Klair (Canada) winning key positions on the Chief Executives' Committee (CEC).

The trio emerged victorious from an eight-candidate field, marking a major shift in cricket's global leadership.Palani and Bhatnagar led the pack with 28 votes, while Klair secured 21 votes. The election results brought a notable change as veteran administrator Sumod Damodar, who previously served three terms, failed to retain his position after receiving only 16 votes.Go Beyond The Boundary with our YouTube channel. SUBSCRIBE NOW!The election drew significant attention as three Associate Member seats were available on the influential CEC. This committee plays a crucial role in developing cricket worldwide and managing the sport at the international level. For Associate cricket chiefs, a spot on the CEC is highly valued and often serves as a pathway to the more powerful ICC board.The election featured a diverse group of candidates, including former Hong Kong chief Tim Cutler representing Vanuatu, ex-USA cricket administrator Sankar Renganathan from Sierra Leone, Stella Siale from Samoa, and Sarah Gomersall from Jersey.

Two previous committee members, Rashpal Bajwa from Canada and Denmark's Umair Butt, chose not to participate in this election.The outgoing member, Damodar, was known for his bold initiatives, including attempts to revive the Afro-Asia Cup and his advocacy for more major events for Associate nations. Another notable candidate was Renganathan, who gained attention for his vocal criticism of USA Cricket's current challenges.

The voting process involved 40 Associate Members and five regional representatives from the Americas, Asia, Europe, East Asia-Pacific, and Africa. According to ICC rules, candidates needed to be either an Associate Member representative or have experience as an ICC director.The newly elected members will serve two-year terms and will also participate in the Associate Member Committee, which oversees governance at the Associate level. This election marks the beginning of a new era for the ICC, now led by Chairman Jay Shah and new CEO Sanjog Gupta, with several important issues set to be discussed during the conference.