For the fourth year in a row, the Indian Premier League (IPL) has opted to skip the opening ceremony. The last time such a grand ceremony was held to commemorate the start of the cricketing spectacle was in 2018.
The star-studded inaugural rituals, which took place a day before the cricket carnival, were well publicised and hyped, but that is no longer the case. Cricket lovers will have to go without it again this year.
The IPL organisers have decided to skip the ceremony, and the IPL Season 15 will begin without the presence of major movie stars.
The IPL 2022 season kicks off on March 26 at Mumbai's Wankhede stadium, with the opening match between Kolkata KnightRiders and Chennai SuperKings. This year, two new clubs have been added to the list: the Lucknow Super Giants and the Gujarat Titans.
The IPL's thrilling inaugural ceremonies have been a must-see event since its beginning. The crowd was mesmerised by performances by major Bollywood stars and music luminaries during the IPL inaugural celebrations. However, the IPL events have been held without an opening ceremony since 2019.
The planners opted to cancel the gala celebration in 2019 because to the Pulwama massacre, while succeeding years were hampered by the Covid-19 epidemic and lockdowns.
According to rumours, the organisers have decided to cancel the dazzling event due to "shrinking" public interest and the significant expenditures that the Board will have to invest as a result of the events.
The Board will have to spend almost Rs 30 crore on an inauguration ceremony, and the profits will not be commensurate with the expenditure. This weighs strongly on the minds of organisers before making investments.
IPL has been under the shadow of Covid for the past two years, making it a challenging prospect.
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