Neeraj Chopra WEB ST

Picture Credit: Twitter

The 15th edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL) kicked off with the clash between defending champions Chennai Super Kings (CSK) and last year's runners-up Kolkata Knight Riders. However, the Board of Control for Cricket in India's (BCCI) gesture right before the game won the hearts of the fans. The Indian cricket board held a felicitation ceremony for Tokyo Olympics medallists ahead of the first game of the season.

The athletes to get the honour included gold medalist Neeraj Chopra, Bajrang Punia, Mirabai Chanu, Lovlina Borgohain, PV Sindhu, Ravi Dahiya, and the Men's hockey team. While Chopra was felicitated with a cash reward of INR 1 Crore, Mirabai Chanu, and Ravi Dahiya were given 50 Lakhs. The Bronze medalists of the Tokyo Olympics, Bajrang Punia, Lovlina Brogohain, and PV Sindhu were felicitated with INR 25 Lakhs. Meanwhile, the hockey team was given a total of 1.25 Crores.

Notably, Neeraj Chopra won the gold medal in the javelin throw event and got himself included in an elite list of individuals. He joined Abhinav Bindra on the list of players to win a gold medal at Olympics. Mirabai Chanu won the silver medal in weightlifting while Ravi Dahiya won the silver medal in boxing. Bajrang Punia and Lovlina Borgohain brought bronze medals in boxing in respective categories while PV Sindhu came third in women's singles (badminton). The Men's hockey team also won the bronze medal after beating Germany in the bronze medal game.

Watch the felicitation video here:

CSK vs KKR in 1st match of IPL

While the Tokyo Olympic medalist got the deserved appreciation from the BCCI, fans could not wait for the first game of the season. CSK and KKR came against each other to kickstart the tournament. Both teams are playing under a new captain. While Shreyas Iyer is captaining the Knights, Ravindra Jadeja has been given the responsibility to lead the Kings.