The heated verbal duel between Virat Kohli and Gautam Gambhir on Monday at the end of the IPL match between Royal Challengers Bangalore and Lucknow Super Giants turned into a viral storm on social media, as fans reacted to the long-standing animosity between the two 2011 World Cup winners.
RCB defeated LSG in a low-scoring game. Defending a below-par 126/9, the visitors bowled Lucknow out for 108 to register an 18-run win. But what made more news than RCB's win is the altercation that followed.
The incident on Monday took place while the players were shaking hands at the completion of the match, when some words were seemingly exchanged between Lucknow bowler Naveen-ul-Haq and Kohli. At this point, Gambhir stepped in to control things, but it soon turned into a Kohli vs Gambhir affair when the latter charged back at the ex-RCB captain.
1/10:IPL 2023: Virat Kohli-Gautam Gambhir ugly face-off
PTI
2/10:Virat Kohli and Gautam Gambhir
<p>Virat Kohli and Gautam Gambhir added another chapter to their bitter rivalry as they got involved in an ugly face-off after the match between Royal Challengers Bangalore and Lucknow Super Giants. </p>AFP
3/10:Heated argument
<p>Kohli and Gambhir were seen having a heated argument after RCB won the match by 18 runs on Monday night. </p>AP
4/10:100% fine
<p>Both Kohli and Gambhir were on Tuesday fined 100 per cent of their match fees for breaching the IPL Code of Conduct. </p>AP
5/10:Kohli and Mayers
<p>The brief interaction between Kohli and LSG opener Kyle Mayers seemed to have triggered the altercation. </p>TNN
6/10:Words exchanged
<p>While the players were shaking hands after the match, LSG bowler Naveen-ul-Haq and Kohli were seen exchanging words and Glenn Mexwell separated them. </p>AFP
7/10:Mayers and Kohli
<p>This was followed by Gambhir pulling away Mayers from a chat with Kohli. </p>TNN
8/10:Gambhir charges towards Kohli
<p>Just after that, Gambhir was seen charging towards Kohli even as LSG players, including the injured captain KL Rahul, restraining him. </p>PTI
9/10:Heated argument
<p>But eventually, Kohli and Gambhir were involved in a heated argument with players from both sides surrounding them. </p>AFP
10/10:More animated
<p>Gambhir looked the more animated of the two and was repeatedly held back from charging towards Kohli by the LSG players and support staff. </p>IANSIt started during LSG's run-chase, when Kohli made a 'silence' gesture towards the crowd after taking a catch that sent Krunal Pandya back early. It followed an argument between Kohli and Naveen later during the 17th over of LSG innings, which required intervention by the on-field umpires and Mishra.
Here's how fans reacted on Twitter:
