The Indian Premier League or the IPL season is all set to kick-start today and all the cricket buffs are ready for the roller-coaster ride. Chennai Super Kings (CSK) and Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) will be playing against each other in the first match. Military bands will perform at the M. A. Chidambaram Stadium ahead of the first T20 match. 8 captains have pre-recorded a video message for the performance. In the wake of the Pulwama terror attack, where more than 40 CRPF personnel lost their lives, BCCI has decided to give them a tribute. They have already confirmed that there would be no opening ceremony for this year’s competition. The BCCI has invited the representatives from the Indian Armed Forces to attend the match. “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. A senior BCCI official told Hindustan Times that it was indeed a great step by a senior IPL official who took back the decision of holding a big ceremony. “am happy with the proposal mooted by the IPL official. Nothing can bring back those who lost their lives but we can, as an organization, 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,” he said. “There are officials who seek to see their names in the Press with hollow proposals and for the sake of optics and it is refreshing to see a person like who avoids the limelight to come up with such a significant proposal,” he added. Are you ready for this year’s IPL? Let us know in the comments section below!<doc-sep>As the Indian Premier League commenced in Chennai with Chennai Super Kings taking on Royal Challengers Bangalore, a heartwarming gesture from the franchise and Mahendra Singh Dhoni, who is a Lieutenant Colonel with the Indian Army, unfolded. After the toss, a military band, the Madras Regiment Band performed and Dhoni, on behalf of Chennai Super Kings, handed a cheque of Rs 2 crore to S. Elango, DIG CRPF, for the welfare of the families of Pulwama martyrs. The amount was raised from the ticket collections of the match. The estimated cost of hosting an IPL opening ceremony is Rs 20 crore. It was unanimously decided that a sum of Rs 11 crore be contributed to the Indian Army, Rs 7 crore to the CRPF and Rs 1 crore each to the Navy and Air Force respectively, a press release from the IPL said. The amount, totalling to Rs. 20 crore, was then handed over to the armed forces by representatives of the CoA and BCCI - Diana Edulji, Lt. Gen. Ravi Thodge, CK Khanna and Anirudh Chaudhry. CoA Chairman, Vinod Rai in the media release, said, “As a federation, we felt it was best not to hold a regular IPL opening ceremony. Instead, we decided to contribute the amount towards a cause that is so important and close to everyone’s heart.” Diana Edulji, a member of CoA, said, “This comes as a welcome move and as a mark of respect to the ones who lost their lives in the terror attack. The BCCI has always been sensitive towards issues of national interest and will continue to make contributions whenever the need arises.”<doc-sep>The Indian Premier League is all set to kick-off on Saturday with defending champions Chennai Super Kings taking on Royal Challengers Bangalore in the season opener. (File Photo) The Indian Premier League is all set to kick-off on Saturday with defending champions Chennai Super Kings taking on Royal Challengers Bangalore in the season opener. (File Photo) The Indian Premier League is all set to kick-off on Saturday with defending champions Chennai Super Kings taking on Royal Challengers Bangalore in the season opener at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai. However, for the first time in IPL history, there won’t be an opening ceremony as the Committee of Administrators (CoA) has decided to donate the allocated fund to the families of CRPF personnel, who lost their lives in the Pulwama terror attack. Instead of an extravagant opening ceremony, the crowd assembled at the venue will get a chance to see the performance by military bands. The BCCI has also invited the representatives from the Indian Armed Forces to attend the match. “Yes, the CoA has sanctioned Rs 20 crore which will be contributed towards the Army Welfare Fund. On an opening day with both Mahendra Singh Dhoni and Virat Kohli being present, the first portion of the said amount will be handed over to one of the dignitaries,” a senior BCCI official privy was quoted by PTI as saying. Earlier this week, IPL franchise Kings XI Punjab donated Rs 5 lakh each to the families of five CRPF personnel who were killed in the attack. A report in PTI stated that the cheques were given to the kin of jawans hailing from Punjab and Himachal Pradesh. The cheques were distributed among family members of Jaimal Singh, Sukhjinder Singh, Maninder Singh, Kulwinder Singh, and Tilak Raj. Captain Ravichandran Ashwin was also present at the event along with CRPF DIG V K Kaundal. Defending champions CSK has also decided to donate the proceeds generated from their first match. The cheque will be presented by CSK skipper MS Dhoni to the families. This development was confirmed by CSK director Rakesh Singh The defending champions Chennai Super Kings will donate proceeds from their first Indian Premier League encounter this season to the families of those who died in the Pulwama terrorist attack. CSK skipper MS Dhoni will present the cheque to the families. Earlier during the limited-overs series against Australia, the Men In Blue wore camouflaged army caps to pay tribute to the jawans. The Pakistan Cricket Board had written to the ICC urging the cricket governing body to take action against the team for mixing politics with sport. However, ICC confirmed that BCCI had already asked for permission for the same.<doc-sep>
BCCI had earlier mentioned that there will be no IPL 2019 opening ceremony | Photo Credit: AP The Indian Premier League (IPL) 2019 is all slated to begin from Saturday evening (March 23) in all its glitz and colour in Chennai. MS Dhoni-led Chennai Super Kings will open the 12th edition as they host Royal Challengers Bangalore at the MA Chidambaram Stadium. Unlike the previous 11 seasons, this time IPL won't kick off with an opening ceremony but military bands are said to perform at the venue. Based on a report in Indian Express, the Madras Regiment Band based out of Chennai will be kickoff the 2019 edition ahead of the felicitation programme for the Indian Armed Forces. Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), in the presence of the embers of the Supreme Court-appointed Committee of Administrators (CoA), will contribute INR 20 crore for the welfare of armed forces. “It’s about a 15 to 20-minute show which will happen. The band will perform just before the felicitation happens. The toss is being advanced by 10 mins,” an official close to the BCCI told the indianexpress.com. “The game will begin at 8 pm and toss will be at 7.30. From 7.20 to 7.30, the Madras Regiment band will perform for the audience,” the official added. The move is part of the series of gestures that BCCI have lined up for the Armed Forces in the wake of the Pulwama terror attack that had claimed the lives of 44 CRPF jawans in February. MS Dhoni, who is the honorary lieutenant colonel of the Indian Territorial Army, is yet to be assigned a role in the proceedings that will commence IPL 2019. “As of now we have no information but he might be a part of the felicitation programme.” Earlier, CSK director Rakesh Singh had mentioned that the Chennai Super Kings will donate the match fee of their first home game to the families of Pulwama victims.