This is why DDCA canceled ceremony to honour Virat Kohli, Virender Sehwag and Gautam Gambhir ahead of 5th ODI

After 40 Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) soldiers were killed in Pulwama attack the Delhi and District Cricket Association (DDCA) have decided to cancel the award ceremony in which Indian skipper Virat Kohli, former cricketer Gautam Gambhir and Virender Sehwag were supposed to be honoured.

Earlier, DDCA had decided to honour the cricketers during the fifth ODI match against Australia that will be played in Delhi. But after Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) decided to cancel the opening ceremony for the Indian Premier League and donate the full amount to the families of CRPF jawans killed in the attack, DDCA decided to follow the suit.

DDCA president Rajat Sharma said, “We were planning to honour Kohli, Gambhir and Sehwag but after the BCCI decided to cancel IPL’s opening ceremony we too decided that we should cancel the award ceremony.” Sharma also added that, “They have decided to donate Rs 10 lakh to Delhi Police’s treasury for martyrs. 90 per cent tickets were up for sale and all of them were sold.”

For the first time, DDCA have decided to to give VVIP passes to all the cricketers from Delhi who have represented their country on international stage.

India and Australia will play their fifth and final ODI match in Delhi’s Feroz Shah Kotla Stadium. The five-match ODI series is levelled at 2-2 after Australia pulled a record chase of 358 runs in the fourth ODI in Mohali.