INDIA: In an Indian Premier League (IPL) 2023 match, a heated exchange between Virat Kohli and Gautam Gambhir grabbed headlines. The incident occurred during the game between the Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) and Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) held in Lucknow on Monday. After RCB won the toss and opted to bat first, LSG restricted them to 126 for nine.
During LSG’s chase, Kohli could be seen getting animated whenever an LSG batter got dismissed. The incident happened a month after LSG’s narrow win over RCB, where Gambhir gestured to the Bengaluru crowd with a ‘shut up’ sign.
After the match ended, Kohli and Gambhir shook hands, and everything appeared normal until LSG opener Kyle Mayers approached Kohli and started saying something to him. Gambhir intervened and took Mayers away. However, a little while later, Gambhir was seen speaking animatedly to Kohli, who seemed calmer between the two. Other players and support staff separated the two. Kohli was then seen having a lengthy chat with LSG captain Rahul.
RCB emerged victorious by 18 runs as LSG got all out for 108 in 19.5 overs. Faf du Plessis led the way for RCB with 44 off 40 balls, while Kohli made 31 at the top of the order off 30 deliveries. The bowler that had the most success for LSG was Naveen-ul-Haq, who had three wickets for 30 runs in four overs. Leg-spinner Ravi Bishnoi completed his four overs with superb figures of 2/21.
However, the incident penalised Kohli, Gambhir, and Naveen-ul-Haq. They were fined for breaching the Code of Conduct during the game, with Kohli and Gambhir admitting Level 2 offenses, and Naveen-ul-Haq admitting a Level 1 offense under Article 2.21 of the IPL Code of Conduct.
Also Read: IPL 2023: Virat Kohli Fined for Breaching Code of Conduct during RCB vs CSK Match
