Rediff.com« Back to articlePrint this article

Kohli shouts expletives at match ref after RCB loss

March 29, 2019 15:53 IST

Royal Challengers Bangalore captain Virat Kohli was left fuming after the umpiring howler cost his team the match against MI on Thursday

IMAGE: Royal Challengers Bangalore captain Virat Kohli was left fuming after the umpiring howler cost his team the match against MI on Thursday. Photograph: ICC/Twitter

An angry Virat Kohli barged into the match referee's room after Royal Challengers Bangalore's loss to Mumbai Indians on Thursday.

RCB needed a six off the last delivery to tie the match against Mumbai but batsman Shivam Dube could only hit Lasith Malinga's full-length delivery to long-on to lose by six runs.

Replays showed the Sri Lanka fast bowler had clearly overstepped the crease for a no-ball, meaning a free hit for Bangalore.

 

The no-ball would have resulted in an extra run for Bangalore and brought former South Africa batsman AB de Villiers on strike. De Villers was in scintillating form and unbeaten on 70 off 41 balls with half a dozen sixes and four fours.

According to reports, a livid Kohli barged into the match referees room and started spewing expletives at him and is also believed to have told him he doesn't care if he gets penalised for the outburst.

At the post-match presentation Kohli said: "We are playing at IPL level, not club cricket," a livid Kohli said at the post-match presentation. "That's just a ridiculous call off the last ball. The umpires should have their eyes open, it was a no-ball by an inch.

"It's a completely different game altogether (with the extra delivery). So if it's a game of margins, I don't know what's happening. They should have been more sharp and more careful out there."

Thursday's loss was the second in as many matches for the Kohli-led side while Mumbai picked up their first victory.

AGENCIES