Former India skipper Virat Kohli and Afghanistan Naveen-ul-Haq had an infamous fight during the IPL 2023. In the reverse fixture between Lucknow Super Giants and Royal Challengers Bangalore, both players had a fight during the last moments of the game. Even after the game, both players had a verbal and physical altercation. Not to forget, LSG mentor Gautam Gambhir got involved.
After this, the IPL governing council fined the trio of Kohli, Haq, and Gambhir were fined heavily as per the tournament’s code of conduct. Meanwhile, almost one and a half months after the incident, Haq has narrated his side of the story. The Afghanistani claimed that it was Kohli who started the fight when both players were shaking hands.
“He (Kohli) shouldn’t have said all those things during the match and after it. I didn’t start the fight. After the match, when we were shaking hands, Virat Kohli started the fight. I just want to say one thing I generally don’t sledge anyone, and even if I do it I would say it to the batters only when I am bowling because I am a bowler. In that match, I didn’t utter a single word. I didn’t sledge anyone,” Naveen told BBC Pashto.
Virat Kohli grabbed my hand forcefully: Naveen-ul-Haq
The right-arm pacer added that he never loses his temper and Kohli grabbed his hands forcefully.
“Players who were there, they know how I dealt with the situation. I never lost my temper, when I was batting or after the match. What I did after the match can be seen by everyone. I was just shaking hands and then he (Kohli) grabbed my hand forcefully and I am also a human being and I reacted.”
After the incident, both players used to have a go at each other after every RCB or LSG game via Instagram stories. This kept on going till the league stage of the tournament as RCB was knocked out before playoffs.
