Crowd in whites (AI Photo)

NEW DELHI: As the IPL 2025 resumes after a 10-day break, all eyes turn to the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru for the high-stakes clash between Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) and Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR). But beyond the cricket, it’s the stands that will offer a powerful visual, thousands of RCB fans dressed not in the team’s iconic red and black, but in white.This striking switch is part of a fan-led tribute to Virat Kohli, who recently announced his retirement from Test cricket. Go Beyond The Boundary with our YouTube channel. SUBSCRIBE NOW!To honour his legendary red-ball career, Bengaluru fans have launched a campaign encouraging everyone attending the match to wear white, the colour of Test cricket, as a symbolic farewell.Social media has been abuzz with the initiative. Messages and posters urging fans to “wear white for Virat” have gone viral, and plain white t-shirts with Kohli’s iconic No. 18 are reportedly being distributed outside the stadium. It’s a heartfelt tribute from a fanbase that has grown up idolising Kohli not just as a T20 superstar, but as one of India’s finest Test captains and batters.The movement highlights how deeply Kohli’s influence transcends formats: his fierce passion, unmatched consistency, and charisma have left an imprint far beyond statistics.

Though the night will be all about RCB’s push for a playoff spot, the atmosphere will carry the emotional weight of Kohli’s farewell to the longest format. Whether or not RCB win, the sea of white at Chinnaswamy will mark one of the most touching fan tributes in IPL history, a testament to the enduring legacy of Virat Kohli, the Test warrior.