Kohli and Gambhir fined for argument on pitch

The Indian Premier League (IPL) has fined two players, including star batsman Virat Kohli, and a team mentor for an altercation caught on camera.

Kohli and Lucknow Super Giants' mentor Gautam Gambhir were fined 100% of their fee for an IPL match played on Monday.

Afghan bowler Naveen-ul-Haq, who plays for the Giants, was also fined 50% of his fee.

Both Kohli and Gambhir are former Indian captains. Gambhir retired from all forms of cricket in 2018.

The altercation took place after a match in which Kohli's Royal Challengers Bangalore defeated the Giants.

The heated exchange was captured on cameras but no audio was available, making it hard to confirm what it was about.

But both Kohli and Gambhir can be seen making aggressive gestures against each other in different clips.

None of the players have officially commented on the incident.

A statement issued by the IPL said that both Kohli and Gambhir had admitted to a Level 2 offence under under Article 2.21 of the IPL Code of Conduct, which deals with acts including unruly public behaviour.

Naveen admitted to a Level 1 offence, the statement added.

Both players are known for being animated on the cricket field.

In April, Kohli was fined 10% of his match fee for breaching IPL rules after his team was defeated by Chennai Super Kings (CSK). While the cricket board did not specify the reason, reports said it could have been due to his celebrations after a CSK batsman got out.

Gambhir, who shared the Indian dressing room with Kohli for years, was also known to be quite expressive on the field as a player and had some famous on-field altercations, including one with Pakistani great Shahid Afridi.

Source: BBC