IPL 2023: Kohli, Gambhir fined 100 per cent of match fee after latest on-field spat

• Gautam Gambhir and Virat Kohli have been fined 100% of their match fee after being found guilty of violating the IPL Code of Conduct in the IPL match 43 between Lucknow Super Giants and Royal Challengers Bangalore
• Gambhir, the LSG mentor, and Kohli were involved in an on-field altercation after RCB defeated the home side by 18 runs at the Ekana Stadium in Lucknow
• . A video doing the rounds on social media shows Kohli being provoked by the Afghanistan bowler before getting into an altercation with Amit Mishra and the umpire who tried to calm things down

Gautam Gambhir and Virat Kohli have been fined 100% of their match fee after being found guilty of violating the IPL Code of Conduct in the Indian Premier League match 43 between Lucknow Super Giants and Royal Challengers Bangalore on May 2, Monday. Gambhir, the LSG mentor, and Kohli were involved in an on-field altercation after RCB defeated the home side by 18 runs at the Ekana Stadium in Lucknow.

Gambhir and Kohli pleaded guilty to a Level 2 offense under Article 2.21 of the IPL Code of Conduct.

It all started in the 17th over of the second innings when Virat and Naveen-ul-Haq clashed while the latter was at the non-striker's end. A video doing the rounds on social media shows Kohli being provoked by the Afghanistan bowler before getting into an altercation with Amit Mishra and the umpire who tried to calm things down.

Naveen and Kohli stood up again as the players of both the teams shook hands after the match ended. This time it was Glenn Maxwell's turn to break up the fight.

But how can Gautam Gambhir stay away from the fray? The LSG mentor got involved as Kyle Mayers and Virat Kohli chatted about the incident. The former KKR skipper ushered Mayers away from the scene and was later seen exchanging barbs with Kohli. As the situation began to escalate, players and support staff from both sides tried to defuse the situation, which quickly got out of hand.

Kohli's aggression during Monday's match was in response to Gambhir's hostile celebrations after LSG's last-gasp win against RCB at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bangalore last month.

Meanwhile, LSG pacer Naveen-ul-Haq was also fined 50 percent of his match fees for violating the IPL code of conduct. The Afghanistan bowler pleaded guilty to a Level 1 felony.