By Niharika Raina
New Delhi, Sep 18 (IANS): Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) on Saturday unveiled blue jersey to pay tribute to frontline workers who are working day in and out for fighting against the COVID-19 virus. This will be the franchise's second special jersey in the IPL after the green jersey worn as part of the 'Go Green' movement.
The blue jersey will be auctioned after the first match of the second half of IPL 2021 against the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) in Abu Dhabi. The revenue generated will be used for vaccination drives throughout India. The blue jersey was unveiled by captain Virat Kohli and chairman Prathmesh Mishra.
"This is a different kind of a blue colour I'll be sporting. It gives a message and it will be a milestone for RCB," said Kohli while unveiling the jersey.
The blue jersey will feature messages on the back to spread awareness in the battle against COVID-19. After the match against KRR ends, the jerseys will be signed and auctioned to raise funds for deployment of vaccines in India. The jerseys resemble the colour of the PPE kits worn by frontline workers on duty.
"India has been battling Covid-19 on a war footing. While vaccination has being going on at a great pace, the frontline workers are the ones bearing the burden of helping us move past this pandemic. We have great respect and admiration for these workers and would like to assist these heroes in our own little way to spread awareness. We are all in this fight together and we need to work together to help humanity move forward," added Kohli.
The auction will be organised by Fankind on their website. The auction period will begin on September 20 and run till October 2. It will be open for all fans to bid for up to 11 sets of '2 player jerseys'.
"Royal Challengers Bangalore intends to stay true to the commitment to honour the frontline warriors. The challenges they face in ensuring safety during this health crisis deserves a lot of credit. They are the real heroes playing bold in life. We want to deliver as planned, in whatever little way we can. We are proud to have partnered with Fankind and GiveIndia to continue with our efforts to provide support to the vaccination efforts in Bangalore and other cities of the country. We wish for everyone to be safe and healthy," said Mishra.
A closed bidding process will take place live on Zoom for certain player sets on October 4. All proceeds from the auction will be directly handed over by Fankind to GiveIndia for deployment towards helping accelerate the vaccination drive for underprivileged communities.
On the cricketing front, RCB are currently placed third in the points table with 10 points from seven matches from the first half of IPL 2021. The three-time runners-up are scheduled to take on the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) in Abu Dhabi on Monday, kick-starting their second half of IPL 2021.