'Ego clash between Kohli, Gambhir': LSG bosses hold meeting with players, officials after unpleasant scenes in IPL 2023

Virat Kohli and Gautam Gambhir stoked their rivalry on Indian Premier League turf afresh on Monday night after a heated argument between the victorious Royal Challengers Bangalore player and the mentor of Lucknow Super Giants, who had just lost a low-scoring game at home.

RCB had just avenged their home defeat against LSG with an 18-run victory in Lucknow when TV images showed Kohli seemingly engaged in an exchange of words with LSG’s Afghanistan player Naveen-ul-Haq while the players were lining up to shake hands.

Monday night’s drama seemed an extension of what happened during the RCB-LSG clash at Bengaluru a fortnight ago when Gambhir was seen shushing the crowd at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium after his team’s thrilling one-wicket win against the hosts.

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The spark seemed to have been lit in the 17th over of LSG’s chase when Kohli and Naveen-Ul-Haq exchanged a few words after a minor argument between the former India skipper and LSG’s former India leg-spinner Amit Mishra. The umpire intervened to defuse the situation.

After the game, the Kohli-Naveen-ul-Haq exchange saw RCB’s Glenn Maxwell step in to restrain the LSG bowler. Then followed a brief chat between Kohli and LSG opener Kyle Mayers when Gambhir came across to take the Caribbean batter away.

Heated exchanges followed between Kohli, who had seemed to ask the Lucknow crowd to stay quiet as their team lost, and Gambhir. Many players, including the injured LSG skipper KL Rahul, stepped in to keep the two apart. Mishra reportedly played the peacemaker in the end.

The combustible Gambhir-Kohli relationship has a history. In 2013, Gambhir – he led KKR to two IPL titles – and RCB’s Kohli had a furious exchange of words. In that game, Kohli was walking back to the dug-out after being dismissed when the two charged towards each other. Their teammates stepped in to ease the situation. Gambhir later said there was no personal rivalry between the two.

“It was simply an ego clash between the two greats of Indian cricket. There was nothing serious. It was just a heat-of-the-moment thing. It happens in such a high-tension game,” said an LSG official preferring anonymity.

“There was no bad blood after the presentation,” the official said. “The LSG bosses did hold a meeting of the players and officials at the ground after the match.”