The spat between Virat Kohli and Gautam Gambhir during the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2023 has been the fiercest on-field feud this year. Controversy erupted during the Royal Challengers Bangalore vs Lucknow Super Giants fixture at Lucknow’s Ekana Stadium in May. Kohli got into an animated verbal exchange with the likes of Naveen-ul-Haq and veteran Amit Mishra.
Drama continued after the game’s conclusion when Kohli exchanged a few words with Naveen during customary handshakes and the latter pushed away the ace Indian batter’s hand. LSG batter Kyle Mayers had a few words with the ex-RCB skipper who then walked away after exchanging a stern look with Gambhir.
The matter intensified when Gambhir and Kohli came face to face and the former was seen hurling verbal volleys. Players from both teams gathered around the duo to separate them and pacify things. In the aftermath of the incident, all three of them – Kohli, Gambhir and Naveen – were imposed with hefty fines by the BCCI.
Though Kohli and Naveen came to talking terms in the recently-concluded World Cup and buried the hatchet, Gambhir seems to be still furious over the incident. Speaking with ANI in a podcast, the former India opening batter said he was ‘defending’ Naveen and had every right to do so.
“As a mentor, no one can come and walk over my players. I have a very different belief. Till the time the game was on, I had no right to interfere. Once the game was over, if someone still gets into a heated argument with my players, I’ve got all right to defend them,” Gambhir stated.
Gambhir and his on-field arguments with opponents aren’t new. Back in 2013 and 2016, he had a heated exchange of words with Kohli when the former cricketer was leading Kolkata Knight Riders. Most recently, he got involved in a bitter spat with S Sreesanth during the Legends League Cricket 2023 Eliminator. The former fast bowler accused Gambhir of calling him ‘fixer’.
Sreesanth took to Instagram to reveal the matter, prompting the LLC management to look into the matter. Several media reports have claimed that the Legends League Cricket (LLC) commissioner has served the right-arm quick a legal notice over his rant against Gambhir. However, a confirmation is awaited.
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