Defending champions Chennai Super Kings will take on Royal Challengers Bangalore in the opening match of IPL 2019 in Chennai on March 23. The schedule, which was announced on Tuesday (February 19), was only for the first two weeks of the tournament and “subject to the announcement of the Lok Sabha 2019 election dates.”

While failing to clear the air on the fate of the India-Pakistan fixture in the upcoming World Cup, the committee of Administrators (CoA) of the BCCI today decided to do away with the opening ceremony of this year’s IPL with the money allocated for it to be donated to the families of the martyrs of the Pulwama attack.

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Every year, a glittering opening ceremony precedes the first game of the season. However, this time around there will no such ceremony.

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In a crucial meeting held today, Vinod Rai, head of the CoA said: “There will be no IPL opening ceremony. Instead the money will be donated to Pulwama martyrs”.

“We will express concerns to ICC. We are in talks with the government on scheduled India-Pakistan clash in the World Cup. No decision yet on India’s World Cup match against Pakistan” added Rai.

Ahead of the meeting, a BCCI official said the cricket body should leave the decision to the government.