Kohli-Naveen Clash: Gambhir Intervenes in Heated IPL Altercation

The Indian Premier League (IPL) 2023 season witnessed a heated on-field clash between Royal Challengers Bangalore's Virat Kohli and Lucknow Super Giants' Naveen-ul-Haq. The incident escalated beyond the match, involving Lucknow coach Gautam Gambhir and sparking a heated argument that required intervention from teammates.

According to Lucknow spinner Amit Mishra, the altercation stemmed from an incident in Bengaluru, where Gambhir made a "finger on mouth" gesture towards the home crowd. Mishra believes Kohli took offense to this gesture and began verbally abusing LSG players in their subsequent encounter.

Mishra expressed that Kohli could have avoided certain actions, but chose not to. He claims that Kohli verbally attacked Kyle Myers and Naveen-ul-Haq, even during their bowling spells. Mishra attempted to intervene, but Kohli directed him to address Naveen instead.

The situation worsened after the match, as Kohli continued to abuse Naveen during the customary handshakes. Gambhir intervened, questioning why Kohli was reigniting the issue after the game had concluded. Mishra intervened to separate Gambhir, but Naveen later reported that Kohli had resumed his verbal attacks.

Mishra believes that while Kohli and Naveen may have publicly reconciled, the incident has likely damaged their relationship. He questions whether Naveen will ever truly respect Kohli again, and expresses concern about the impact on younger players who witnessed the altercation.

Tags: #IPL2023, #ViratKohli, #NaveenulHaq, #GautamGambhir, #LucknowSuperGiants