Mumbai: Calling it a long-awaited decision, former Indian skipper Dilip Vengsarkar on Wednesday said that BCCI's decision to scrap the opening ceremony of the Indian Premier League (IPL) is a very good move.
"Millions of dollars were paid to foreign celebrities and over Rs 30 crore were spent for an opening ceremony. I am very happy that finally the call has been taken,” said Vengsarkar while talking to The Free Press Journal.
"They say international superstars and some other bollywood actors have performed at the opening ceremonies of the previous editions but I have never heard the names of these celebrities,” he added.
It was on Wednesday, Board for Control of Cricket in India (BCCI) came down on the Indian Premier League (IPL) and scrapped the IPL opening ceremonies, calling it as a waste of money.
"He (Dada) Saurav Ganguly must have definitely had his say on this matter,” said the former skipper of India team.
“I am sure season will be much better without the glitz of a star-studded extravaganza,” he added.
The IPL Governing Council, chaired by former Test batsman Brijesh Patel, met on Tuesday to discuss a slew of issues, including Future Tour Programme (FTP) window, availability of foreign players, FTP of the Indian team and possibility of franchises playing friendlies abroad.
They say international superstars and some other bollywood actors have performed at the opening ceremonies of the previous editions but I have never heard the names of these celebrities — Dilip Vengsarkar.
