'I will not take abuses from anyone' - Naveen-ul-Haq doubles down following on-field spat with Virat Kohli during LSG vs RCB

The conflict that emerged between Virat Kohli and Gautam Gambhir after the IPL 2023 match between Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) and Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) had people talking, but it was just an extension of a feud that began during the game.

Towards the end of the match, Naveen-ul-Haq, an Afghanistan star playing for LSG, was left incensed after Kohli directed some words towards him before displaying his shoe. This led to Naveen furiously charging towards Kohli, but the umpire and Amit Mishra, another LSG player, quickly intervened to prevent things from escalating.

After the game, Virat Kohli and Naveen shared a tense handshake, but the latter went on to utter a few words, which Kohli chose to ignore. Naveen continued, and Kohli retaliated verbally, but Glenn Maxwell managed to separate the two before things got any more heated.

Here's Virat Kohli's heated interaction with Naveen ul Haq when he arrived to bat: 

Forget about Naveen ul haq's country just think as a normal human being will you accept this kind of behaviour?
completely lost respect on Kohli 🙏🙏🙏 pic.twitter.com/S8c5cxJkuS

— I.P.S🏌️ (@Plant_Warrior) May 2, 2023

According to reports, Naveen later confided in a teammate, saying that he had come to play cricket in the IPL and not to suffer abuse from anyone. According to Indian Express, Naveen later told one of his LSG teammates: “I have come here to play in the IPL, not to take abuse from anyone.”

He also took to social media to air his feelings, posting on his Instagram story, "You get what you deserved, that's how it should be, and that's how it goes."

As a result of the incident, the Indian Cricket Board took action against both Naveen and Kohli. Naveen was charged 50% of his match fees as a fine, while Kohli was fined his entire match fee. Gambhir was also fined 100% of his match fees for his argument with Kohli during the handshakes.

Here's what happened in the post-match: 

This is crazy… for a player of Virat Kohli status to grip your hand and look you in the eye while telling you off, you must’ve done something stupid. Naveen-ul-Haq had a very similar encounter with Shahid Afridi

pic.twitter.com/JeP4r4biE7

— Raz Khan (@razkhan789) May 1, 2023

The incident brought to the fore once again the intensity and passion that come with cricket, especially in the IPL. It also showed the need for players to be careful about their words and actions, both on and off the field, and the importance of sportsmanship and mutual respect in the game.