PBKS’ Pooran pledges to donate in fight against Covid-19

Ahmedabad, April 30 (IANS): Following Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) fast bowler Pat Cummins’s gesture to donate US $50,000 to the PM Cares fund to fight the Covid-19 pandemic, Punjab Kings’ (PBKS) left-handed batsman Nicholas Pooran too pledged to donate a part of his IPL salary for the cause.

“Although many other countries are still being affected by the pandemic, the situation in India right now is particularly severe. I will do my part to bring awareness and financial assistance to this dire situation,” the 25-year-old West Indian, who hasn’t really had a memorable outing in this edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL), said in a video on Twitter on Friday.

“To all my fans and supporters, I realise I am in a safe and privileged position here in India at the IPL. But it is heart-breaking to be so close to the tragedy that is surrounding us. I would like to donate a portion of my IPL salary towards this (Covid-19) crisis in India,” said Pooran in the video.

The Punjab Kings franchise too pledged to do their bit to alleviate the sufferings of people affected by the pandemic in the country.

“To help the fight against #COVID19 in India, #PBKS has pledged to provide oxygen concentrators with the help of @roundtableindia. We also request everyone to join in and help in whatever way possible because together, we can!” wrote the franchise on Twitter.

On Thursday, Rajasthan Royals (RR) had said they were contributing INR 7.5 crore towards Covid-19 relief, while the Rishabh Pant-led Delhi Capitals (DC) pledge INR 1.5 crore to the national Capital’s fight against the disease.

Former Australia fast bowler Brett Lee and Sachin Tendulkar too have provided financial assistance to support the cause.