IPL 2020: Will there be an opening ceremony at Sheikh Zayed Stadium?

The Indian Premier League (IPL) 2020, known as the most extravagant T20 league, throws millions on glamour and glitz but with the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic, the big question is where this year's tournament, which begins at the Sheikh Zayed Stadium on September 19, will feature the same Bollywood-style celebrations.  

According to a 2019 report from the Indian Express, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) had decided to scrap the opening ceremony for the 2020 season. 

The board believed that it was a "waste of money" as it did not intrigue viewers. 

It is pertinent to mention that the Indian board had shelled out INR200 million (PKR450m) for the ceremony last year. 

READ: IPL 2020, Time and schedule for T20 tournament

This year's IPL could see either a toned down version of the spectacle or none at all due stringent travel restrictions. 

In a more recent development reported by the same publication, BCCI Secretary Jay Shah had informed heads of state cricket that it was unlikely that they would be invited to the Arab nation for the ceremony "at least in the beginning" of the tournament.

The BCCI may still stage an extravagant closing ceremony- that is if travel restrictions are eased out by the next month. 

READ: PSL’s first Pakistan-only edition begins with dazzling opening ceremony at NSK

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