Dubai: Indian Premier League (IPL) franchise Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) will be sporting a blue jersey in the match against Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) on September 20 to pay tribute to the COVID-19 heroes and frontline workers.
The announcement was made on RCB’s official Twitter account on Tuesday.
“RCB to wear Blue Jersey v KKR on 20th. We at RCB are honoured to sport the Blue kit, which resembles the colour of the PPE kits of the frontline warriors, to pay tribute to their invaluable service while leading the fight against the Covid pandemic,” RCB tweeted.
Earlier this year, Virat Kohli had announced that his franchise will be making a financial contribution to help the healthcare infrastructure related to Oxygen support in Bengaluru and other cities of the country.
RCB had joined hands with the Give India Foundation to provide around 100 units of oxygen concentrators to extend support in Bangalore, and other cities. Since the start of the pandemic last year, RCB’s parent company, Diageo India has manufactured and distributed 3 lakh litres of sanitisers and committed 75 Crores INR towards the programme to support the Indian hospitality sector.
The 14th season, which was postponed in May this year in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, will resume on September 19 in Dubai with a blockbuster clash between Chennai Super Kings and defending champions Mumbai Indians.
The action will then shift to Abu Dhabi where Kolkata Knight Riders will square off against Royal Challengers Bangalore. Sharjah will host its first game on September 24 when Royal Challengers Bangalore take on Chennai Super Kings. In all, 13 matches will be held in Dubai, 10 in Sharjah, and 8 in Abu Dhabi.
The board has come up with a 46-page health advisory that lays down all the pointers that everyone associated with the IPL needs to follow in order to ensure the smooth functioning of the league.