The BCCI on Saturday contributed ` 20 crore, the budget earmarked for the IPL opening ceremony, to the funds of the Armed forces and CRPF.
The Committee of Administrators (CoA), running the BCCI, had decided to cancel the glitzy opening ceremony in the wake of the Pulwama terror attack in which 40 CRPF personnel were killed.
"It was unanimously decided that a sum of ` 11 crore be contributed to the Indian Army, ` 7 crore to the CRPF and ` 1 crore each to the Navy and Air Force respectively," a BCCI release said.
The 12th edition of the popular T20 league began Saturday with a clash between defending champions Chennai Super Kings (CSK) and Royals Challengers Banaglore (RCB) in Chennai.
The toss for the opening match was advanced by 10 minutes to allow performance by military bands.
CSK skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni, along with a team official, presented a cheque of ` 2 crore to the representatives of the CRPF. The franchise had announced on Wednesday that the proceeds from the ticket sales (` 2 crore) for the opening match would be donated to the CRPF.
Committee of Administrators (CoA) members Diana Edulji and Lt General Ravi Thodge, BCCI acting president C K Khanna and treasurer Anirudh Chaudhry, were present at the ceremony.
Lt Gen Thodge handed over ` 11 crore to the Army Lt General Sanjeev Kanal, while Khanna gave away ` 1 crore to Rear Admiral Alok Bhatnagar.
Chaudhry handed over a cheque for ` 1 crore to Group Captain Deepak Ahluwalia and Edulji presented a cheque for ` 7 crore to CRPF DIG S Elango.
"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," CoA Chairman Vinod Rai said in the BCCI release.
Edulji 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."