IPL 2O25: Will RCB fans be allowed to wear white jerseys for Kohli tribute? Social media campaign sparks debate after 'Jail' shirt ban

Virat Kohli announced his retirement from Test cricket the previous week, and the news left his fans disheartened and shocked. King Kohli has often stated that Test cricket is so far his favourite format, and his stepping back from the most prestigious event was a disappointing thing, and fans couldn't accept the fact that Kohli walked away without a real goodbye.

Not only this, but fans are also thrilled to watch Kohli play today in the clash between Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) and Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) after his retirement announcement and a week of suspension of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025.

Amid this, the RCB fans have flooded social media urging everyone to wear all white, Test jerseys at the M. Chinnaswamy stadium as the match happens to be one that will restart the IPL season after a nine-day suspension.

Credit: X

'Come in, Whites; the hype is real'

Motivated by a social media campaign paying tribute to Virat Kohli's Test cricket career, a major number of RCB fans have chosen to wear all-white jerseys instead of the traditional red for the team's next home ground match.

The movement to wear all-white has grown with people sharing their comments and posts on social media platforms. Fans have decided to wear all white in the stands to honour Virat Kohli, as he did not receive a farewell Test despite representing India 123 times in the format.

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Test cricket jerseys are sold outside the Chinnaswamy Stadium

Apart from other social media posts, some photos have surfaced on the internet where street vendors outside the Chinnaswamy Stadium are seen stocking up on white Kohli jerseys, rather than the typical stock of red RCB jerseys.

The viral pictures depict the extent to which the fans would be willing to go to make this day a memorable one.

The news did not stop till outside the stadium. ESPNcricinfo reported that the director of RCB, Mo Babat, said, "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."

Red Sea???? Turned Into White ? Today

Fans wear white to tribute to the King Kohli At the Chinnaswamy Stadium ???

"RohitSharmaStand" #ViratKohli#RCBvsKKR #ipl2025update pic.twitter.com/olBRZdcwSK

¡ª He??nt (@Hemant_183) May 17, 2025

But will fans be allowed to wear the white jersey inside the stadium?

Amid the ongoing discussions on social media regarding donning the white jerseys, a Reddit thread has sparked discussions among users on 'Will they allow fans to wear test jerseys for today's match? Last time fans tried wearing the 'Jail' jersey, and we were not allowed to do so!'

On May 3, during the clash of Royal Challengers Bengaluru and Chennai Super Kings (CSK) at the Chinnaswamy Stadium, something similar was noticed. The last time this happened was when these two teams met, when CSK hosted RCB, and the visitors had defeated the Men in Yellow; moreover, the rivalry between the duo is always at its peak.

The fans cross their limits while supporting the teams. Last time, a few visuals surfaced on the internet where some fans were seen distributing a special CKS jersey, which was meant to troll the five-time winners.

CSK Special Fan Jersey being sold at Chinnaswamy Stadium ?? #RCBvsCSK #ViratKohli #CSK #StopTheRain #ShubmanGill pic.twitter.com/VDy7sCG3NO

¡ª Yash (@YashCricOG) May 3, 2025

Notably, the jersey was white and black, and it mentions 2016-17, which were the two seasons that CKS were absent from the IPL season because of the fixing scandal that hit the team during those years.

Credit: X

However, the authenticity of the images cannot be verified, but several social media users posted this and noted that these jerseys were sold outside the Chinnaswamy Stadium.

Fans react to whether they will be allowed to wear the white jersey inside the stadium or not

As soon as the Reddit thread regarding the same appeared on social media, it sparked discussions.

Will they allow fans to wear test jersey for todays match? Last time fans tried wearing 'Jail' jersey and we're not allowed to do so!
byu/KarmaRaja inRCB

One said, "How many people can they stop, bro. If at all it becomes a problem, there will be chaos cuz unlike Jail jersey this is for tribute and respect."

White, another said, "There won't be any issues with the test jersey bro. Already many people wear it regularly, and it is not trolling or hate."

"Jail jerseys were allowed, and fans wore them. Even Cricbuzz acknowledged it. Just that the broadcast didn¡¯t show it because then the commentators would have had to speak on it," another countered.

"I went to the stadium with that; the security officials asked us to throw it out; maybe 1-2 people managed to get it in somehow."

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