IPL 2018 captain’s pledge set to be filmed in advance ahead of gruelling schedule

IPL 2018 captain’s pledge set to be filmed in advance ahead of gruelling schedule

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The captain’s pledge in any sport, not just cricket is something extremely sacred and hence the IPL governing body has taken a decision to pre-film the pledge in order to give captains time to prepare. The agenda for the opening ceremony is to be decided on March 16 by BCCI and CoA authorities.

The opening ceremony of the Indian Premier League has always been a star-studded affair ever since the first edition of the tournament back in 2008. With the likes of international superstars like Enrique Iglesias, Katy Perry and Pitbull lighting up the stage on previous occasions, another integral part of the ceremony was the captains’ pledge, which each of the participating team's skippers are a part of. 

However, things could be different this time around, as the IPL governing bodies are set to pre-record the captain’s pledge of the eight franchises’ so that they can stay and prepare for the opening matches along with their respective teams. 

The pledges will be recorded on April 6 and the recording will be played out during the opening ceremony at the Wankhede Stadium on April 7. That will be followed by the opening match of the 2018 IPL between Mumbai Indians and Chennai Super Kings.

"Having the captain’s pledge at the Trident Hotel in Nariman Point on April 6 means that all the leaders can go back to their respective teams before their opening games. With the opening ceremony now on April 7, having the pledge live would mean keeping Virat Kohli (RCB), Gautam Gambhir (DD), Dinesh Karthik (KKR) and R Ashwin (KXIP) away from their teams on the eve of their opening game on April 8. So, if we have the event in advance, they can happily strategise and make last-minute plans before the game,” a senior official told Cricketnext.

The Spirit of Cricket event during the opening ceremony is the signing of a pledge by the 8 captains before the start of an IPL season. It is an occasion where all of the captains share the stage for the only time in the tournament as the IPL trophy is put on display by the defending champion.

The agenda for the opening ceremony is scheduled to be decided on March 16 as BCCI members and the Committee of Administrators (CoA) continue to debate. CoA officials have refused to sanction an increase in the budget for the opening ceremony even as BCCI officials argued that the IPL is the most awaited occasion of the year.

“Some of the top international artists have come and performed at the opening over the years. It is a much-awaited celebration of 50 days of non-stop cricket that follows. To not allow an increase in the budget is unfair. But, we have a meeting again on March 16 and we will decide on the final plan of action on that day,”

“The concept of having separate openings at the various venues in the previous edition was a huge dampener and failed to create an impression in the minds of the viewers and that means we need to be all the more careful with our planning this time round,” the official said.

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