‘Unfortunately, the trophy isn’t lucky to be in your hands captain (Virat Kohli)’, ‘Win or Lose RCB forever’, ‘Tough Luck Champ’, ‘If you find a RCB fan, please hug and talk to them. They need you,’ ‘We miss you captain’. Following Royal Challengers Bangalore’s elimination from IPL 2021, fans are disappointed to say the least. More so, because the game on Monday against Kolkata Knight Riders was Kohli’s last as RCB’s captain. Messages of solidarity and support have been pouring in on social media with fans reassuring their support to the ‘RCB family’.
In Bengaluru ‘RCBians’ have a special tribute to the outgoing skipper of the team who captained the franchise for nine years. From collating videos expressing solidarity to conducting cricket tournaments, fans in the city are finding ways to pull off small celebrations as a token of gratitude to Kohli and the boys.
According to Ramesh BN, a member of RCB Bold Brigade, the fan club will be introducing a podcast series to discuss the journey of RCB and Kohli’s tenure as skipper. “We are working on a podcast series dedicated to RCB that will be hosted by fans and for fans. This will be a one-of-its-kind podcast that will focus on RCB team’s best performances, stats, and also an analysis of star players. We are planning to get former RCB players also on board for the podcast for interactions,” says Ramesh, whose 10-year-old son Amit Sagar Gowda ‘wept all night’ on Monday following RCB’s elimination.
Like Gowda, Preetham Karigar, member Namma Team RCB, is going through an emotional meltdown after Kohli and team were not able to win the IPL trophy. “Unlike other times, we have more wins this time... the team was doing really well. We really thought RCB had a chance to make it to the finals. But that excitement went in vain.” he says, adding, “We are also upset that Virat Kohli will no longer be the captain. He’s a brilliant player and it will be a huge loss for RCB’s leadership,” he says.
Even though Prathamesh Avachare, admin of the RCB Bold Brigade, is upset, he and other fans are planning a tribute to ‘celebrate Kohli’. “We are already receiving several videos from fans who are extending support to Kohli and expressing their joy about his promise to play for the franchise until the last match. We will collate it and release it this week on our YouTube channel. As RCBians, we feel like family. Even though RCB wasn’t able to win the trophy, we will continue supporting them,” says Avachare, a digital marketing consultant.
According to Allen Abhishek, a member of RCB Fan Army, the fan club is hoping to meet up soon to ‘express gratitude’ to the team and the captain. “We will be hosting a cricket tournament for fans in November or December. We are also working on social welfare activites activities like visiting orphanages, old-age homes or organising a blood donation camp,” says Abhishek.