"To acknowledge the efforts and honour the sacrifices made by these real challengers, RCB team will proudly don a tribute jersey with the message 'My Covid Heroes' both during training and matches for the entire tournament," said RCB in a statement on Thursday.

 

The franchise also said that players will pay pay tribute to "all COVID heroes and sharing some of their inspirational stories on the team's social media handles".

 

"I am truly proud to wear RCB's 'My Covid Heroes' jersey as a sign of solidarity and gratitude to everyone who is right now going the extra mile to support the community at large," said captain Virat Kohli. "They have batted day and night and fought on the field, and I am honoured to call them my heroes."

 

The IPL starts Saturday with defending champions Mumbai Indians taking on Chennai Super Kings (CSK) in Abu Dhabi. RCB take on Sunrisers Hyderabad on September 21 in Dubai.

 

"We all have become more accepting of the situation around us. That would not have been the case when you have so many options of like I can go out for a coffee...do whatever I want at any time of the day. Acceptance is the biggest change that I have experienced," Kohli said.