Virat Kohli and Gautam Gambhir in one frame.© Twitter
The Kolkata Knight Riders vs Royal Challengers Bengaluru clash in the IPL 2024 on Friday has a separate subplot. Kolkata Knight Riders are coached by Gautam Gambhir while Virat Kohli is one of RCB’s batting pillars. The two share quite a bit of history. The last time the duo faced each other in the IPL 2023, it created one of the enduring images in Indian cricket. Last year, Gambhir was linked with Lucknow Super Giants and had a heated on-field argument with Virat Kohli after a match against RCB.
Both received heavy fines after that incident. It was not the first altercation between the two on the field. With the duo coming face to face again at a cricket match, KKR couldn’t help but post two interesting pictures. KKR posted the photos with the caption: “Cricket footage that hits hard.” In one of the pictures, Kohli can be seen pointing towards Gambhir.
Cricket footage that hits hard pic.twitter.com/QYf5LanzYQ
— KolkataKnightRiders (@KKRiders) March 29, 2024
Speaking to Star Sports ahead of the match between Knight Riders and Royal Challengers, Indian star pacer Varun Aaron said he is eagerly looking forward to the match outside the boundary rope, referring to the Kohli-Gambhir clash.
“I don’t want to stir anything but I am looking forward to the match outside the boundary line. Gautam Gambhir will be there right next to the Bengaluru dugout, I don’t know what will happen there. We know Virat likes to have fire in his belly and just looking at the Kolkata duo makes him excited,” Aaron said.
Gambhir and Kohli famously clashed during a match between RCB and Lucknow Super Giants in IPL 2023. Kohli initially aligned himself with LSG’s Naveen-ul-Haq before Gambhir went to ground and waged a verbal war with the former.
About the chaotic episode, Gambhir said last year: “It is not about Naveen-ul-Haq. I would have defended any player, that’s my job, that’s who I am. Why shouldn’t I defend my players just because someone? If there’s a broadcaster working for him, left right and centre, someone who has more of a presence on social media doesn’t have the right to walk all over someone.”
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