AB De Villiers, Virat Kohli Put 2016 IPL Match Kits For Auction To Raise Money For COVID-19 Funds

In the match, RCB's Virat and De Villiers, both scored centuries and shared a 229-run partnership to help their side win the game

Photo: Instagram

Former South Africa skipper AB de Villiers took to Instagram to announce that he and team India skipper Virat Kohli on Monday put up their kits from a 2016 Indian Premier League (IPL) match against Gujarat Lions for auction to aid the battle against deadly coronavirus (COVID-19). In the match, RCB's Virat and De Villiers, both scored centuries and shared a 229-run partnership to help their side win the game. The money raised will be split in half between charities working in South Africa and India. "I'm glad to be doing this with my very dear friend @abdevilliers17," Kohli shared on Instagram on Monday. In a heartfelt post, De Villiers shared the details of the auction.

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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

"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," AB de Villiers wrote. "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," de Villiers wrote. "So we are donating some of the key items from that special day in 2016," he wrote.