During an Instagram chat last Friday (April 24), Virat Kohli and AB de Villiers had revealed that they will auction their 2016 IPL kits - bats, shirts and gloves online to raise funds in the fight against COVID-19 pandemic.

See Also: Kohli, De Villiers pick combined India-South Africa ODI XI; name MS Dhoni as captain

The cricketing gears are from a 2016 IPL fixture between Royal Challengers Bangalore and now dysfunctional franchise Gujarat Lions. In that match, De Villiers hit 52-ball 129* while Kohli smashed 55-ball 109 to power RCB to a 144-run win.

Confirming the details about this auction, De Villiers on Monday (April 27) posted a lengthy message on Instagram which reads: “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.”

“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.”

“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.”

AB further wrote that the funds generated from the auction will be equally shared between charities working in South Africa and India.

“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 key words 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.”

De Villiers concluded by saying that the auction will close on 10th May and he will personally contact the winner.

“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. Take care and stay safe,” he signed off.

 

 

 

 

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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. 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. 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. 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 key words 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. 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. Take care and stay safe.

A post shared by AB de Villiers (@abdevilliers17) on Apr 27, 2020 at 12:28am PDT

 

 

 

 

View this post on Instagram

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I'm glad to be doing this with my very dear friend @abdevilliers17 . All details are mentioned below and more will be communicated in time. ???????????? #Repost @abdevilliers17 ・・・ 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. 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. 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. 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 key words 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. 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. Take care and stay safe.

A post shared by Virat Kohli (@virat.kohli) on Apr 27, 2020 at 1:14am PDT

The Coronavirus outbreak has brought the entire world to a virtual standstill. All the sporting activities have also come to a grinding halt.

As of April 27, the deadly virus has claimed more than 207,000 lives globally and infected over 3,003,300 people.