Imam ul Haq, the opener for Pakistan, recently recalled the event and said that Agha Salman reportedly sent Kohli an Instagram message to help him relax after it. Notably, the BCCI severely punished and fined the players who engaged in the verbal fight.
During Match 43 of the season, Royal Challengers Bangalore player Virat Kohli and Lucknow Super Giants spinner Naveen-ul-Haq engaged in a heated argument that made news in the IPL 2023. The event became the buzz of the town for the entire edition, and it even sparked another furious argument between Kohli and Gautam Gambhir during the match.
“I recall that Virat Kohli and Afghanistan bowler Naveen-ul-Haq got into a brawl during the IPL.” Even after the game, Gautam Gambhir joined the fierce altercation that went on. When it became viral, Virat became quite irate. Salman Agha sent him a message on Instagram after the incident, saying, “Kohli bachche easy ho ja.”
Is that right? In an interview with Honest Hour, Imam ul Haq said, “Kohli kid, please calm down what happened).”
Not my friend telling me how she was walking alone at 9pm and some boys approached her on a bike and said “aap Akeli ja rahi hain, hum aap ko drop kardein?” To which she replied “JAB MEIN ZINDA THI TAB BHI AKELI JAATI THI”, they ran away in 5 secs. CRYING😭
— mishal| abdul hannan stan❗❗ (@Mishalriiaz) November 8, 2022
Following the incident, Naveen-ul-Haq lost 50% of his match costs for his Level 1 infraction, while Kohli and Gambhir were fined 100% of their match fees after being found guilty of a Level 2 offence.
Naveen and Virat Kohli reconciled at the 2023 ODI World Cup.
Virat Kohli and Naveen engaged in another face-off in the just-finished ODI World Cup 2023. Notably, during India’s match against Afghanistan in New Delhi, the audience was excitedly anticipating their confrontation. When the Afghanistan seamer came out to bat in the opening inning, the entire crowd erupted in chants of “Kohli! Kohli!” and he received an even more harsh reception at the crease.
As Naveen bowled to Kohli in the second inning, the two engaged in another face-off. But during the game, the two cricket players put their prior disagreements aside and gave each other hugs, ending their intense rivalry. After the battle, Naveen said that Kohli had requested that he stop fighting and that he had even complimented the Indian batting sensation for his on-field accomplishments.