Did Virat Kohli Donate 20 Crore Rupees to Dunith Wellalage After Hearing About His Father’s Death?

A TikTok post claiming that Indian cricketer Virat Kohli donated 20 crore rupees to Sri Lankan cricketer Dunith Wellalge after hearing the news of his father’s passing during the Asia cup match, is going viral on social media. 

The Hindi video, with an English caption, claims that Wellalage’s father suffered a heart attack and died after watching an Afghan batsman hit five sixes during Wellalage’s over, and that on hearing the news, Kohli made the announcement to donate the large sum of money to Wellalage. The same video is also being widely shared on YouTube.

Evidence

• We found no official statement on the subject by either Virat Kohli’s team or his social media accounts.

• We also found no credible news reports  on the alleged donation.

• A Google reverse image search of key frames from the viral video revealed that it originally comes from Virat Kohli’s official Twitter post dated 27 March 2020. The video was posted during the COVID-19 pandemic, and it shows Kohli urging Indian citizens to take the 21-day national lockdown seriously, maintain social distancing, and take personal responsibility. This proves that the video predates Dunith Wellalage’s father’s death by over five years and is unrelated to the recent claim.

• News outlets such as NDTV, The Times of India, and ABP Live published articles in 2020 referencing this Twitter video, confirming that it was associated with Kohli’s pandemic message, not any donation to Wellalage.

Context

The 17th edition of the Asia Cup cricket tournament is currently underway in the United Arab Emirates from 9 to 28 September 2025. During the match, Sri Lankan spinner Dunith Wellalage experienced a personal tragedy when his father, Suranga Wellalage, passed away. Suranga, who was 54 and a former amateur cricketer, suffered a fatal heart attack while watching his son play in the Group B match against Afghanistan. The tragic news was not conveyed to Dunith until after the match concluded, following Sri Lanka’s six-wicket victory. Dunith immediately returned home to be with his family and rejoined the squad for the remainder of the tournament. He flew back to Colombo on the night of 18 September 2025 and rejoined the Sri Lankan squad in the UAE on the night of 19 September 2025, available for selection in the Super Four clash against Bangladesh on 20 September 2025.

Verdict

The claim that Virat Kohli donated 20 crore to Dunith Wellalage after hearing about his father’s death is false. The video circulating on social media predates this event by over five years and is unrelated, originally posted in 2020 to urge people to follow COVID-19 lockdown measures.

FAQs

Q1. Did Virat Kohli make any donation to Dunith Wellalage after his father’s death?
No. There is no credible news report or official confirmation supporting this claim.

Q2. Where is the viral video from?
The video is from Virat Kohli’s official Twitter post on 27 March 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Q3. What was the video originally about?
It urged Indian citizens to follow the 21-day national lockdown, maintain social distancing, and take responsibility during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Q4. Why is the video going viral now?
It resurfaced after Dunith Wellalage’s father passed away during the Asia Cup 2025 and is being falsely linked to the event.

Our Sources
Twitter post published on Virat Kohli’s official account on March 27, 2020.
News report published on NDTV on March 27, 2020.
News report published on The Times of India on March 27, 2020.
News report published on ABP Live on March 28, 2020.
News report published on Ada Derana on September 19, 2025.
YouTube video published on Ada Derana on September 20, 2025.