KXIP accords ‘Kuch Bhi Award’ to Virat Kohli for his fiery gesture to Ravi Ashwin; RCB reacts

Kings XI Punjab (KXIP) captain Ravichandran Ashwin, who took over last year, has had a few controversies attached to his name in Indian Premier League (IPL) 2019. First, he ‘Mankaded’ Rajasthan Royals (RR) batsman Jos Buttler, leaving the cricketing world polarised. Ashwin’s action continued to have its shadow over the tournament as other bowlers and non-striking batsmen were found indulging in near-Mankading episodes, sometimes in a light manner.

However, things became serious when Ashwin’s side played Virat Kohli’s Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) in Bengaluru on April 24. On that occasion, Kohli, who is known for his passionate gestures on the ground, came out with an animated gesture at his counterpart after taking his catch in the final over.

Ashwin too was livid and he threw away his gloves after reaching the dug-out. The incident happened when the RCB required 27 runs to win in the final over and the Kings captain was caught at long-on by Kohli off the bowling of Umesh Yadav after hitting a six. Kohli’s fiery send-off to Ashwin made the headlines, as did the latter’s angry reaction.

Ashwin, who plays more regularly in Tests for India, has been seen defending his captain Kohli in international games. For instance, the ace off-spinner was found taking on English pacer James Anderson in a Test series at home after the latter had targeted Kohli.

Four days after the incident, KXIP reacts with a tweet

Ashwin had played down the episode in Bengaluru later but the Kings did not forget the incident. On Sunday, the KXIP posted a tweet on their official handle saying the RCB captain had received a ‘Kuch Bhi Award’ from them following his gesture exhibited after taking Ashwin’s catch in the match. It was a tad surprising that the tweet came four days after the incident took place.

Here’s RCB’s response

The RCB won the match by 17 runs with their dashing batsman AB de Villiers bagging the man of the match award for scoring 82 not out off 44 balls. Kohli’s team, however, lost a key game against Delhi Capitals on Sunday that virtually pushed them out of the tournament.

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