Former South African cricketer AB de Villiers on Monday revealed that he along with Indian skipper Virat Kohli will be auctioning some of their cricket gears to raise funds for COVID-19.
In an Instagram post, de Villiers said that they will be auctioning some ‘special key items’ which they used while playing an Indian Premier League (IPL) cricket match for the Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) team in 2016.
The South African cricketer said that he would donate his bat and gloves and Kohli would be donating his shirt and bat and all these items would be auctioned as one ‘unique auction item.’
During an IPL match between RCB and Gujarat Lions in 2016, Villiers and Kohli scored a whopping 229 runs off 96 balls which is still the highest stand in the IPL.
“Cricket has given me many incredible memories – and, among the most precious, stands the partnership with @virat.kohli, playing for RCB and against Gujarat Lions in 2016,” wrote de Villiers in Instagram.
“Everything clicked on what was a truly unforgettable night at the IPL. The capacity crowd at the M. Chinnaswamy stadium were going crazy, and we both scored centuries in a partnership of 229 runs from 96 balls. More importantly, RCB won the match by 144 runs,” he added.
“Now we find ourselves in a global crisis caused by the Covid-19 pandemic, and Virat and I would like to help people in need, people struggling to put food on the table,” said de Villiers.
de Villiers also stated that they are auctioning their ‘unique auction item’ on the Bid or Buy online platform and the money raised through the auction would be spent between charities working in India and South Africa.
“So we are donating some of the key items from that special day in 2016 – Virat’s bat and gloves, my shirt and bat – and creating one unique auction item, on the Bid or Buy online platform(link in my bio-type keywords in the search button to find the piece). All money raised will be donated to charities supporting people most severely affected by the crisis, split 50/50 between charities working in SA and India,” he added.
Villiers also said that the winner of the auction would be personally contacted by him after May 10 and would make arrangements for the items to be sent to his/her home.
“Immediately after the auction closes on 10 May 2020, I will personally contact the winner and make arrangements for the package to be delivered to your home,” added de Villiers.
Kohli also stated on an Instagram post that he is happy to be associated with a noble initiative with de Villiers.