Credit: IPL
On May 1, 2023, Team India legend Virat Kohli and Afghanistan pacer Naveen-ul-Haq scuffled with each other after Royal Challengers Bengaluru’s (RCB) victory against Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2023 game played at the Ekana Cricket Stadium. Chasing 127 runs, the home side surrendered on 108 and lost the game by 18 runs. Josh Hazlewood and Karn Sharma shone for the visitors to help Lucknow contain Challengers on 108. Both picked up two wickets apiece in their respective four-over spells.
Following the game, Kohli and Naveen got involved in a heated argument. During the contest, when Naveen was batting at the crease, Kohli showed a shoe to the Afghan player while having a heated chat with him. After the conclusion of the match, Naveen and Kohli locked horns again while shaking hands. Noting both arguing, Glenn Maxwell, who was playing for RCB then, intervened to resolve the fight. After a few moments, Kohli got involved in a fiery exchange with Gautam Gambhir, who was LSG mentor then. KL Rahul, Lucknow skipper that season, strove to stop both but got no success.
BCCI took stern action against both players and Gambhir Gambhir
The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) took strict action against Kohli and Gambhir. They were penalised 100% of their match fees after they were found guilty of a Level 2 offence. Naveen paid 50% of his match fees. All three cricketers accepted the sanction from the board.
After a year of the infamous incident, Gambhir became Team India coach in July 2024 and he is currently working with Kohli in the national side. Naveen buried the hatchet with Kohli during the World Cup 2023 game between India and Afghanistan in Delhi while Gambhir and Kohli shared a hug with each other and resolved the issue during the IPL 2024 match between RCB and Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium.
