Gautam Gambhir, a former Indian cricket player and current coach of the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR), gained notoriety lately when he was spotted giggling with the fourth umpire during the team’s game against Royal Challengers Bengaluru at Eden Gardens in Kolkata. On Sunday, April 21, both teams faced off in the tournament’s 36th game.
KKR captain Shreyas Iyer spoke with the umpire before the start of the 18th over of the second innings, and he was observed staring at Gambhir at the dugout. When Gambhir spotted Iyer, he got up fast, dove around to face the fourth umpire, and got into a heated argument. Notably, Chandrakant Pandit, head coach of KKR, also participated in the process with him.
The issue seems to have stemmed from the Kolkata Knight Riders wanting to switch Rahmanullah Gurbaz for Sunil Narine as a fielder because the latter had finished his bowling stint. The two-time champions gave careful deliberation to this move in an attempt to introduce new players for the last two overs.
Nevertheless, the on-field umpire promptly rejected Gambhir’s request for the same, sparking a heated conversation between the two. Consequently, the video of the same has been widely shared on social media. Notably, the match had previously generated a lot of controversy when Virat Kohli was removed from the game under dubious circumstances because of a new “waist rule” that declared the delivery to be lawful, which incensed Kohli and led to a heated altercation on the field.
Here is a link to Gambhir’s animated argument moment:
— Nihari Korma (@NihariVsKorma) April 22, 2024
In the 2024 Indian Premier League, Kolkata Knight Riders keep winning
Speaking of Kolkata Knight Riders, they did prevail over Royal Challengers Bengaluru in a thrilling match that came down to the final ball of play. The victory helped the two-time winners hold onto their second-place finish in the IPL 2024 rankings.
Also read: IPL 2024: Gautam Gambhir praises the “phenomenal character” of RCB following their close loss to KKR
The team has participated in seven games in the competition thus far, winning five of them and losing two. With 10 points from seven games, Kolkata is getting closer and closer to a playoff berth; a few more victories should guarantee the team’s qualification. Kolkata Knight Riders have established themselves as one of the leading contenders to win their third IPL championship in 2024, with players like Andre Russell, Phil Salt, Sunil Narine, and many more in prime condition.