Both Virat Kohli, the prominent player of Royal Challengers Bangalore, and Gautam Gambhir, the mentor of Lucknow Super Giants, incurred substantial fines for violating the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2023 Code of Conduct during their match on Monday. Following RCB’s victory in an intense low-scoring contest, Kohli and Gambhir engaged in a heated confrontation on the field, involving several other individuals.
Initially, after the match concluded, Kohli and Gambhir appeared to settle their differences with a handshake, but this turned out to be the calm before the storm. LSG opener Kyle Mayers approached Kohli and exchanged words, prompting Gambhir to intervene and remove Mayers from the situation. However, tensions escalated, leading to an animated discussion between Gambhir and Kohli, as captured by the match footage. Lucknow captain KL Rahul and a few other players intervened to separate the two, and later, Rahul also had a conversation with Kohli.
The IPL, in its official statement, announced the disciplinary actions taken against the individuals involved: “Gautam Gambhir, who serves as the Mentor of Lucknow Super Giants, has been penalized with a fine equivalent to 100% of his match fee. This action was taken due to his violation of the IPL Code of Conduct during the TATA Indian Premier League (IPL) 2023 match against Royal Challengers Bangalore. The match took place at the Bharat Ratna Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee Ekana Cricket Stadium in Lucknow. Similarly, in the same match, players from both Royal Challengers Bangalore and Lucknow Super Giants were found to have breached the IPL Code of Conduct. Mr. Gambhir has accepted responsibility for a Level 2 offense under Article 2.21 of the IPL Code of Conduct.
As a result of his actions, Virat Kohli, the batsman for Royal Challengers Bangalore, has been fined 100% of his match fee. The breach occurred during the aforementioned match, and it has led to this significant penalty being imposed on him.
Likewise, Naveen-ul-Haq, the bowler representing Lucknow Super Giants, has also been penalized for his breach of the IPL Code of Conduct. He has been fined 50% of his match fee due to his actions during the IPL 2023 match against Royal Challengers Bangalore at the Bharat Ratna Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee Ekana Cricket Stadium in Lucknow. Apart from Kohli and Gambhir, Lucknow pacer Naveen-ul-Haq was also reprimanded by the IPL for committing a Level 1 offense under Article 2.21 of the IPL Code of Conduct.
