BCCI Decides Against Hosting IPL Opening Ceremonies From Next Season

The Indian Premier League (IPL) Governing Council met the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) officials in Mumbai and decided against hosting IPL opening ceremonies from next edition. Notably, this was one of the many important decisions taken in the closed-door meeting.

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The Governing Council, chaired by former Test batsman Brijesh Patel, also discussed Future Tour Programme window, availability of foreign players, and the possibility of franchises playing friendlies abroad.

But a major non-cricket decision was the scrapping of the extravagant IPL opening ceremony. Previously, it used to typically be organised like a Bollywood awards night or a concert, with international performers taking the stage alongside Indian actors.

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The convention was to have an opening ceremony a day before the first match where the captains of the teams used to present as well, with events like signing the Spirit of Cricket pledge and so on. A BCCI official revealed that the IPL opening ceremony consumed a lot of money, reason why they have decided to scrap it from the upcoming season.

“The opening ceremonies are a waste of money. The cricket fans don’t seem to be interested, and the performers have to be paid a lot,” a BCCI official told the Indian Express.

Incidentally, the IPL Governing Council didn’t host the opening ceremony in the last season as well. The Committee of Administrators decided to allocate the money set aside for it to the families of the CRPF personnel killed in the Pulwama terror attack.