Virat Kohli Painting Sold For 2.9 Million Pounds

A painting depicting Virat Kohli's 10-year Indian Premier League journey has been bought by British-Indian entrepreneur Poonam Gupta for a whopping 2.9 million pounds at the cricketer's recent charity dinner for his foundation. The painting is by award-winning artist Sasha Jaffrey who has previously collaborated with the likes of Mahendra Singh Dhoni, Yuvraj Singh and David Beckham for charities and causes.

"What I like about this young generation of Indian cricketers is that they are responsible and want to make difference on and off the field. I am very connected to the cause taken up by Virat," said Poonam Gupta, who is CEO of Scotland based company PG Papers.

"Slavery has no place in this world and we need to stand up and do our bit. I am glad Virat has come forward against this evil and by buying this magnificent piece of art created by my favourite artist Sasha Jaffrey, I tick two boxes. I take a rare master piece to my home and also help this noble cause in my own way," Gupta said.

India will take on Bangladesh on Thursday in the second semifinals of the ongoing ICC Champions Trophy tournament. They are also the defending champions. 

The charity dinner created a quite a stir as Vijay Mallya had come for it. It had led to the Indian team leaving quickly, avoiding the businessman. 

(With PTI inputs)