IPL 2023 | Virat Kohli and Gautam Gambhir fined 100% match fee, Naveen ul Haq gets away with 50% penalty

A fresh rivalry brewing in the Indian Premier League came alive at the Ekana Cricket Ground on May Day as things turned sour between the two opposing camps following a low-scoring game. Batting first, the visiting Royal Challengers Bangalore managed to put up 126/9 on the board before bowling out hosts Lucknow Super Giants for a paltry 108 on the penultimate ball of the game to earn an 18-run victory. However, despite the high-quality cricket action on the field, the play was interrupted several times when the players got rowdy on the field, leading to fines being announced for Virat Kohli, Naveen ul Haq and Gautam Gambhir on the day after the game.

The first signs of a clash emerged when Virat Kohli silenced the Lucknow crowd by celebrating with a finger on the lip after grabbing Kunal Prandya's catch, much like LSG mentor Gautam Gambhir had done in Bangalore following their win earlier in the season. Later, Kohli and Naveen ul Haq were seen exchanging a few fiery words when the latter came out to bat and the uo had to be separated by the umpires and Amit Mishra. However, the remnants of the conflict resurfaced during the handshakes between the two sides where the duo had another charged-up interaction. Gambhir responded by later pulling away Kyle Mayers from a conversation he was having with Virat Kohli and the former Indian opener was soon charging at his compatriot as tensions flared once again. Even though Kohli was seen placing his hand on Gambhir's shoulder seemingly to pacify the retired cricketer, there was little love lost and several players, including Mishra and skipper KL Rahul, had to stop the two from getting hostile.

The IPL's statement stated that Gambhir, Naveen and Kohli were all in breach of Article 2.21 of the tournament's code of conduct which talks about keeping the spirit of the game intact by avoiding any form of unruly behaviour on and off the field. The protagonists of the clashes, Kohli and Gambhir, were handed a 100% match fee fine while Afghan quick Naveen ul Haq managed to escape with just half his match fee being taken away as a penalty.