India cricketer Jaydev Unadkat said in a tweet on Friday that he will be contributing 10 per cent of his salary from the Indian Premier League (IPL) towards "providing essential medical resources for those in need" at a time India battles a deady second wave of Covid-19 infections. Unadkat, who plays for Rajasthan Royals in the IPL, was bought by Rajasthan for Rs 3 crore at the IPL 2020 auction. West Indies batsman Nicholas Pooran, who plays for Punjab Kings in the IPL, also took to social media to announce that he will be donating a portion of his IPL salary to support India's fight against the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.
"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," Pooran said in a video he posted on Twitter.
"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 heartbreaking 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) crisis in India," he added.
Earlier in the day, Pooran's IPL franchise Punjab Kings pledged to provide oxygen concentrators by joining hands with an NGO -- Round Table India.
"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," Punjab Kings tweeted.
On Thursday, Rajasthan Royals and Delhi Capitals donated funds to support Covid relief work in the country.
Pat Cummins, Brett Lee and Sachin Tendulkar have also provided financial assistance to help the country in the battle against COVID-19.