The Board for Control for Cricket in India has gone with the national sentiment. In a rich tribute to the CRPF Martyrs, who laid their lives on the line of duty during the terror strike in Pulwama, the BCCI has decided to scrap the Indian Premier League. The budget allocated to the inaugural show will now be allocated for the welfare of the martyrs’ families.
The Indian Premier League will not have an opening ceremony this year after the Committee of Administrators (CoA) running Indian cricket today (Friday) decided to allocate the money set aside for the entertainment show to the families of the CRPF personnel martyred in the Pulwama terror attack.
The opening ceremonies of the cash-rich T20 league are heady mix glitz and glamour with performances by Bollywood stars. This year, as a mark of respect to the slain CRPF Jawans, it has been decided to scrap the ceremony for the event’s 12th edition beginning March 23.
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“We will not have any inaugural function for the IPL and the money budgeted for that goes to the martyrs’ families,” said Committee of Administrators chairman Vinod Rai.
The CoA took the call at a meeting here on today.
The Pulwama attack took place last week and its reverberations are being felt in the sporting arena as well. There has been a call to snap sporting ties with Pakistan.
The Rai-led CoA decided against taking any stand on the World Cup clash against Pakistan but said it would individually urge ICC members to “sever ties with any nation that is a terrorist hub”.
Defending champions Chennai Super Kings will take on Royal Challengers Bangalore in the IPL opener on March 23.
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