Top 4 heated moments in RCB-KKR matches ft. Virat Kohli
Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) will take on their toughest rivals, Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR), in the 10th match of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024 at M. Chinnaswamy Stadium.
KKR will be high on confidence coming into this game after beating SunRisers Hyderabad (SRH) in their opening match. It was Andre Russell show up in the first inning as the West Indian all-rounder remained unbeaten on 64 runs in 25 balls, powering KKR to 208 in 20 overs. However, it was Harshit Rana’s last over brilliance that guided KKR to victory. Defending 13 in the last over, the seamer bowled brilliantly and helped KKR start on a winning note.
On the other hand, RCB lost their opening game against Chennai Super Kings (CSK) but bounced back against the Punjab Kings, courtesy of spectacular innings by Virat Kohli and Dinesh Karthik. RCB will be looking to win their second consecutive game on their home turf, while KKR will be looking to upset the Chinnaswamy crowd.
Over the years, both of these teams have had some exciting matches. Both teams have faced off 32 times till now, with KKR coming on top 18 times while RCB managed to win 14 games. There has been a long history of top incidents involving these sides; one can remember Brendon McCllum's century against RCB in the opening match of the IPL to Virat Kohli’s century at Eden Gardens in 2019.
On that note, in this article, we will look at the top four heated moments in RCB-KKR matches.
#4 Mohammed Siraj gives an aggressive send-off to Andre Russell
Number four on the list is the intense moment between Mohammed Siraj and Andre Russell. It was in Match no. 36 of the IPL 2023 that Siraj bowled an inch-perfect yorker to dismiss Russell. The right-handed batter backed away to strike one out of the ground but failed to do so, and Siraj hit the timber. After taking the wicket, the right-arm pacer was seen giving an aggressive send-off to the West Indian all-rounder.
However, Siraj ended up on the losing side, as KKR scored 200 runs while batting first. In response, no other player apart from Virat Kohli contributed much, resulting in RCB’s loss by 21 runs.
#3 Heated exchange between Gautam Gambhir and Moises Henriques
Match number 12 of the IPL 2013 between RCB and KKR was when this intense rivalry started. It was the first over of the match when Gautam Gambhir collided with Henriques while stealing a quick single. The collision ignited a verbal spat between the Indian batter and the RCB all-rounder, and the umpire had to intervene in between to stop the fight.
However, Gambhir wasn’t impressed with Henriques, as he continued exchanging words with him in the next over when he hit him for the boundary.
Meanwhile, the Gautam Gambhir-led KKR lost this match by eight wickets. KKR only managed to score 154 runs in 20 overs. While chasing RCB, the batter looked comfortable, and Chris Gayle led the way by scoring 85 runs and taking RCB over the line.
#2 Gautam Gambhir losing control over his emotions
In match number 30 of the IPL 2016, while batting first, RCB scored 185 runs, thanks to half-centuries by KL Rahul and Virat Kohli. In response, KKR had a very poor start, and at one moment they were 69-4 in 10.1 overs, and a win was likely for RCB.
However, Yusuf Pathan and Andre Russell had some other plans. Yusuf Pathan remained unbeaten on 60 of 29 balls and guided KKR to victory.
However, things got heated in the dugout. As KKR was marching toward victory from a losing position, Captain Gambhir lost control of his actions and kicked a chair when Suryakumar Yadav hit Tabraiz Shamsi for a four, taking the match into KKR's favor. In the end, KKR won the match, but for his actions, Gambhir was fined 15 percent of his match fee.
#1 Things got heated when two Delhi guys had a go at each other
At the top of the list is the verbal spat between Gautam Gambhir and Virat Kohli. It was the 10th over of RCB’s inning in match number 12 of the IPL 2023 when Virat Kohli got caught out at extra cover of Balaji’s bowling. While celebrating Kohli’s wicket, Gambhir said a few words to give him a send-off, and then Kohli had a go at Gambhir, and the two had to be separated by another Delhi guy, Rajat Bhatia.
It was the first major altercation that took place in the IPL, and it was just the start of the intense rivalry between the two franchises. Now, with Gambhir back with KKR as a mentor, it will be interesting to see how things will work out between both camps.