Ex-KKR Star Appointed West Bengal's New Sports Minister

Former KKR player becomes Bengal's sports minister [Source: AP]

Former Indian cricketer Ashok Dinda has been appointed as the new sports minister of West Bengal. Dinda’s appointment comes as a seismic shift amidst the changing political landscape in the state.

Part of the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), the ex-cricketer will be expected to take over the high-profile role within the coming days. He will be replacing Aroop Biswas, who resigned from the post back in December 2025 following criticism over the mishandling of the Lionel Messi event at Kolkata’s Salt Lake Stadium.

Ashok Dinda becomes a two-time BJP MLA in West Bengal

Ashok Dinda is set to take over as the new Sports Minister of West Bengal. His appointment means that the cricketer will continue to remain an active MLA within the BJP government for the second time in a row.

It is worth noting that the seasoned fast bowler also won the Moyna constituency during the previous state elections held back in 2021. However, at the time, the BJP failed to form a government in the state.

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The former Bengal cricketer overcame some heavy competition this time around to become the new sports minister. As per reports, his closest competitor was Sourav Sikdar, who won from the North Dum Dum constituency.

A look at Ashok Dinda’s political career

Ashok Dinda announced his retirement from all forms of the game back in February 2021. A few weeks later, the Bengal veteran joined the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) as an MLA (Members of the Legislative Assembly).

He won the Moyna constituency to start off his political career. Notably, the Moyna village also happens to be the birth place of Dinda.

Upon taking up a career in politics, the former Bengal captain said “I have helped people a lot over the years. My friends said that I should be in politics, that I should use my image to lift the profile of Moyna.”

Around the same period, fellow ex-India cricketer and Bengal veteran Manoj Tiwary also entered the political sphere, albeit for the then-ruling TMC party.

Ashok Dinda – A forgotten star who deserved a Test cap

Ashok Dinda was part of the KKR franchise in the inaugural edition of the IPL back in 2008. The cricketer went on to play 78 IPL games for five different franchises up until his final appearance in 2017.

He picked up 69 wickets in the process, at an expensive bowling average of over 30. With fans and cricket experts often criticizing the speedster for his economy rates, Dinda became the subject of widespread trolling on social media through the popular “Dinda Academy” meme culture.

However, the legendary Bengal paceman remains one of the most successful fast bowlers in the history of Indian domestic red-ball cricket. He picked up 420 wickets in just 196 innings spanning 116 first class matches, most of them for the Bengal team in Ranji Trophy.

While he played a handful of white-ball internationals for Team India between 2009 and 2013, many felt Ashok Dinda deserved an extensive rope in Test cricket for his exceptional domestic red-ball record.

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