Virat Kohli And Gautam Gambhir Conflict: A History

IPL Fight Between Virat Kohli and Gautam Gambhir: How Did It All Start?

It all began back in the IPL’s 2013 season when L. Balaji took the wickets of the RCB captains, which sparked an ugly brawl between then-KKR captain Gautam Gambhir and Virat Kohli.

As the Indian Premier League enters its 16th season, there have been quite a few ugly altercations and verbal scuffles on the pitch between and among players. In light of how intensely the heated moments occurred, a select few of these can be replayed in the fans’ minds.

During the 2013 season of the league, in Bengaluru, an ugly brawl broke out at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium between Virat Kohli, the captain of the RCB at the time, and Gautam Gambhir, the captain of the KKR.

Momentum was building as RCB needed another 80 runs off 11 overs to complete the run chase after KKR fast bowler Laxmipathy Balaji had struck out Kohli (35).

Also Read | IPL 2023: Virat Kohli And Gambhir Went Into A Big Fight Again

Virat Kohli and Gautam Gambhir engaged in an IPL brawl

Balaji became enthused as the KKR fielders surrounded him to celebrate a significant wicket shortly after Gambhir was dismissed.

Just before this, as Gambhir was making his way back toward the dugout, Kohli lost his cool and started to yell at him. The rage may have been a reaction to one or more comments made by Gambhir.

The two then exchanged some unpleasant words as Kohli charged toward Gambhir. Fortunately for everyone on the pitch and the overall success of the tournament, a few KKR players and the umpire quickly stepped in and managed to diffuse the situation. Kohli, on the other hand, was heard cursing in the dugout.

Rajat Bhatia later spoke openly about the incident after becoming one of the players who successfully intervened just in time to break up the fight.

“That’s something that happened when two aggressive skippers were playing, and they were always trying to secure victories for their teams. Even if they collided in that game, it was just a normal part of the action,” Bhatia told Asianet Newsable in 2020.

IPL 2023: Kohli and Gambhir square off again in Lucknow

At the Ekana Stadium in Lucknow, where RCB defeated LSG by 18 runs in a low-scoring match, the two got into a bitter verbal altercation once more, as if turning back the hands of time.

Just the beginning of what happened after the game ended included Kohli’s impulsive, aggressive reactions following the loss of each wicket, including his flying kiss in overt retaliation to LSG coach Gambhir.

In actuality, the build-up began earlier, when there were a few heated exchanges between Kohli and two LSG teammates, Amit Mishra, and Naveen-ul-Haq, during the latter’s chase. At the time, the former RCB captain was visibly more animated than ever on the pitch.