Howzat! IPL opening ceremony faces Rs 20-cr cut, shifted to April 7

The Indian Premier League (IPL) opening ceremony has been affected as a result of the ongoing tussle between the Supreme Court-appointed Committee of Administrators (COA) and the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) officials.

With IPL being its maximum profit earner, the BCCI was planning to have a gala opening ceremony on April 6 at the Cricket Club of India (CCI), a day before the tournament's first match in Mumbai with a hefty budget of Rs 50 crore – an increase from Rs 30 crore spent for last edition's opening ceremony across eight centres.

DNA has learnt that the Vinod Rai-led COA, during its February 27 meeting in Mumbai, has turned down IPL governing council's (GC) proposal and directed it to have the ceremony on April 7, the day of the first game, at the Wankhede Stadium.

The COA has also decided to cap the budget to Rs 30 crore, a cut of Rs 20 crore.

This move has not gone down too well in the BCCI, and it is expected that the unhappy IPL GC will take up the matter with COA during its next meeting on March 13.