IPL 2019: BCCI scraps opening ceremony, money to be donated to Pulwama attack victims instead

What's the story?

The Committee of Administrators (COA) of the Board for Control of Cricket in India (BCCI) on Friday decided to scrap the opening ceremony for the forthcoming edition of Indian Premier League (IPL). This is in view of the recent Pulwama attack, which resulted in the death of over 40 CRPF soldiers; the CoA has announced that the money for the ceremony will instead be donated to the families of the victims.

The background

On 14th of this month, a CRPF convoy was attacked by a suicide bomber in the Pulwama area of Jammu and Kashmir, killing over 40 personnel while injuring plenty more. The incident left the whole country in shock and anguish, including the cricketing fraternity as well.

The heart of the matter

In a step to show support for the families of the Pulwama attack victims, the CoA has now decided to do away with the entertainment of the opening ceremony for IPL 2019. As the event usually features performances by celebrities and costs a great deal of money, the administrators believe it would be more prudent to donate the money to those affected by the attack.

"We will not have any inaugural function for the IPL and the money budgeted for that goes to the martyrs' families," said CoA chairman Vinod Rai.

This gesture has found support both within and without the organization. "Nothing can bring back those who lost their lives but we can, as an organisation, take on a little bit of the responsibility to take care of the families of those whose lives have been snatched away in their prime in the line of duty," a senior BCCI official was quoted as saying by Hindustan Times.

What's next?

The organising body of the IPL recently released the schedule for the first two weeks of the league with defending champions Chennai Super Kings taking on Royal Challengers Bangalore in the opener. As the general elections are also going to take place this year, there might be some shuffling in the IPL fixtures as well.

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