Taking a cue from Kolkata Knight Riders paceman Pat Cummins, the Rajasthan Royals franchise have decided to donate Rs 7.5 crore (over $1 million) to immediately support people in India affected by the COVID-19 pandemic.
“Rajasthan Royals announce a contribution of over $1 milion from their owners, players and management to help with immediate support to those impacted by COVID-19. This will be implemented through @RoyalRajasthanF and @britishasiantst”, the franchise tweeted ahead of the IPL 2021 clash against Mumbai Indians at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in New Delhi.
The Royals said in a statement that players as well as officials in the team had come forward to make this massive contribution for India.
“Rajasthan Royals is pleased to announce a contribution of INR 7.5 Crores (over $1mn) towards Covid Relief to help with immediate support to people in India impacted by the surge of Covid-19 virus. Players along with the team owners and team management have come forward to raise funds and have been working along with the Rajasthan Royals’ philanthropic arm Royal Rajasthan Foundation (RRF) in partnership with the British Asian Trust (BAT),” the statement read.
“BAT works closely with the Indian Government on many initiatives – especially in the area of skills and education. The Trust’s founder, Prince Charles, launched an emergency ‘Oxygen for India’ appeal, which is currently focused on acquisition and distribution of oxygen concentrators, devices that can provide the enriched gas straight from the air, to treat patients when hospital supplies are under strain.
“The funds raised by Rajasthan Royals will help pan India, with an initial focus on the state of Rajasthan, where the RRF, Chaired by Ranjit Barthakur, has numerous initiatives it continues to support. Having the team owners and its players come together has enabled this initiative to reach the scale it has, providing aid to tackle the current crisis and help people get the single most pressing necessity at this time – Oxygen,” the statement added.
