The resumption of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025 campaign didn’t go as planned as rain played spoilsport at the M Chinnaswamy stadium, washing out the Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) vs Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) match on Saturday. Local fans came prepared at the venue, hoping to give Virat Kohli a tribute he deserved but couldn’t get due to the sudden retirement from Test cricket. As a mark of tribute to the iconic India and RCB batter, a flock of white pigeons was also flown over the Chinnaswamy stadium in Bengaluru.
Ditching the RCB’s red and black colours, a lot of fans at the venue came dressed in whites, wearing Virat’s No. 18 Test shirt, as a mark of tribute to the batter. The skeptical stitched a beautiful picture at the venue, though the weather gods had other plans.
“Clouds crying, white pigeons flying over Chinnaswamy, fans wearing white jerseys in the stands, what a tribute King Kohli is getting at the moment,” a fan at the stadium said, as per CricketNext.
just WOW!
nature’s tribute to #ViratKohli as well…even the whites in the sky made rounds over #Chinnaswamy
— WhiteArmy#RCBvKKR #IPL2025 #RCB pic.twitter.com/cFJw12bDbP
— (@IamSanathKumar) May 17, 2025
It was an organic outpouring of affection for a player who placed Test cricket in the public conscience and was its most persuasive ambassador.
It was clear that the day belonged to Kohli as the fans queued up in white outside the stadium as early as 4.30 pm, carrying placards and wearing a white jersey with the famed No. 18 embossed on the back.
They wanted to catch a glimpse of Kohli, who generally sits in the front row of the team bus, hoping to get a glance back or a quick wave.
“Sir, avaru yavaga baruthare? (When will he come?),” an impatient fan would ask a group of scribes while walking through the ever-swelling crowd.
It was not just peak fandom. It mirrored the deep connection the city has developed with Kohli over the last 18 years.
All through these years, Kohli remained an unwavering RCBian, and the red and gold jersey was like a second skin for him.
“For me, the relationship and mutual respect that I have built with RCB over the years is the most valuable thing. Whether we win the trophy or not, it doesn’t matter. This is my home,” Kohli had said once.
In return, Bengaluru stayed loyal to Kohli even on times when the rest of the cricketing world derided him for his aggression or occasional petulance.
Kohli never had the pan-Indian God-like status of Sachin Tendulkar or was never adopted as ‘Thala’ as Chennai accepted MS Dhoni.
But he is as Bengalurean as anyone else, as indispensable to the city dwellers as a cup of morning coffee. Kohli has become their habit, an endearing addiction.
With PTI Inputs
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