Temporary truce in rivalry? Gambhir, Kohli embrace each other mid match

In the dynamic world of sports, conflicts are fleeting. A warming scene unfolded during a break in the Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) versus Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) match Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024 tie at Bengaluru's M Chinnaswamy Stadium.

Gautam Gambhir and Virat Kohli, despite their history of on-field disputes, were spotted embracing each other during a strategic time out.

Over the years, these two cricketing stalwarts have engaged in numerous heated exchanges on the pitch. Their recent embrace signifies a temporary truce in their rivalry.

In the IPL, RCB and KKR have clashed 32 times, with KKR holding the advantage with 18 victories. Even in their most recent encounters, KKR has maintained dominance, emerging victorious in four out of the last five matches against RCB.

Gambhir and former RCB captain Kohli were caught up in a heated on-field confrontation last year after a match between RCB and the Lucknow Super Giants (LSG), with Gambhir serving as the team's mentor at the time.

Expressing his sentiments, Gambhir had shared with the official broadcaster Star Sports, "One team I always aimed to defeat, perhaps even in my dreams, was RCB... They were the second-most high-profile and flamboyant team, boasting players like Chris Gayle, Virat Kohli, and AB de Villiers."

Both players had faced significant fines as a result of that incident, which marked just one of several on-field altercations between them.

Before the match, IPL's official broadcasters shared an archived video featuring Gambhir, in which he had said, "One thing I aspire for in my cricketing career is to step onto the field and emerge victorious against RCB."

"One team that I always aimed to defeat, perhaps even in my dreams, was RCB. Probably the second most high-profile team, a flamboyant team with the owner and perhaps the squad - Chris Gayle, Virat Kohli, AB de Villiers. Despite not having won anything, they carried themselves as if they had won everything. That kind of attitude, I couldn't tolerate. Probably the three most satisfying wins that KKR ever achieved were against RCB," expressed Gambhir in the video.