After a post-match incident with former national teammate Gautam Gambhir, Indian cricket star Virat Kohli was fined for the second time in this IPL on Tuesday.
According to the Indian Premier League, both were forfeited their entire match fee, while Naveen-ul-Haq was penalized 50% of his for violating the league’s code of conduct.
On Monday, Kohli and Afghan bowler Naveen were seen arguing on the field during a tight match between Kohli’s Royal Challengers Bangalore and Lucknow Super Giants.
During the match, Kohli had to be restrained by opposition batsman Amit Mishra because of his aggressive approach. Bangalore ultimately won by 18 runs.
After that, Lucknow’s Kyle Mayers had to be dragged away from a confrontation with Kohli, while other players failed to stop a visibly enraged Gambhir, Lucknow’s team mentor, from confronting him.
Gambhir and Kohli, who played together when India won the World Cup in 2011, got into an argument until Bangalore captain Faf du Plessis interfered.
Former national team teammates were also embroiled in an ugly on-field brawl during an IPL match in 2013.
Since retiring from cricket in 2018, Gambhir, 41, has become an MP for India’s Hindu-nationalist ruling BJP party.
This was Kohli’s second infraction this season, following a fine of 10% of his match fee for his behavior during Bangalore’s loss to Chennai Super Kings last month.
Despite being one of the game’s top batsmen, “King Kohli” and Bangalore have never won the Indian Premier League.
He will step down as RCB captain at the end of the 2021 season.
During his extended batting slump in 2021 and 2022, he lost the Indian captaincy, one of the most high-pressure jobs in world sport.
Kohli, 34, has spoken publicly about his mental health issues during his dry spell, including becoming “snappy” to his Bollywood star wife Anushka Sharma.
He has had numerous run-ins with rival players and was once chastised for striking a plastic chair with a bat after being dismissed during an IPL match.
