When it comes to crazy fans in the IPL, Royal Challengers Bengaluru stand first. Always. Be it 18 years of loyalty without a trophy or Chinnaswamy during season unbox -- the madness is unmatched. As IPL 2025 resumes, the next wave of craziness is loading. And this time, it’s all for their favourite -- Virat Kohli.
On May 12, while the Indian Premier League was suspended due to India-Pakistan border tensions, Virat Kohli stunned the cricketing, infact, entire sports world by announcing his immediate retirement from Test.
After a brief hiatus, the BCCI has announced that the IPL 2025 season will resume on May 17, starting with a blockbuster clash between Royal Challengers Bengaluru and Kolkata Knight Riders at the Chinnaswamy. It will be Kohli's first appearance since bidding farewell to the red-ball game.
As a tribute to Virat Kohli’s Test cricket legacy, fans are planning to wear white jerseys during today’s RCB vs KKR match today. The special tribute gear has already been spotted selling across Bengaluru markets.
Indian cricket commentator Harsha Bhogle supported the idea on Twitter, saying, “Are you planning to turn up in white for the game on the 17th? Remember seeing a post suggesting that. It will be incredible and a sight for the ages if true and if you can pull it off."
However, this could be an issue, as fielders might struggle to spot the white ball against a predominantly white background during the T20 match.
But the social media campaign seems serious enough to have reached the RCB camp, where Director of Cricket Mo Bobat told ESPNcricinfo, "It's not something we've thought about or talked about too much. I've certainly noticed that the fans have been talking about that a little bit, but I don't think it'll have much of an impact on our play.”
Now, whether ball visibility concerns will stop the “white sea” from flooding the Chinnaswamy, or whether it won’t matter in the face of an emotional evening dedicated to the Indian batting maestro--remains to be seen.
