A year ago, at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium, during the IPL 2023 match between the Delhi Capitals and Royal Challengers Bengaluru (then known as Royal Challengers Bangalore), Virat Kohli and Sourav Ganguly’s actions throughout the game suggested that things were not going well between the two. The two allegedly unfollowed one another on Instagram thereafter. But following the home team’s 47-run victory over DC on Sunday, Ganguly paid the former RCB player his utmost respect at the same location.
There was no hiding the gulf between Ganguly and Kohli. A month after giving up his T20I captaincy in 2021, Kohli lost his ODI captaincy. This move set up a verbal spat between him and the Ganguly-led BCCI administration at the time. Later, in January 2022, the veteran Indian batsman gave up his position as Test captain, which resulted in a dramatic change in the two sides’ relationship.
A year later, during the 2023 Indian Premier League, Kohli gave DC’s director of cricket, Ganguly, a death stare as he passed by during the RCB vs. DC game. After the game, the former India opener opted not to shake hands with the RC batsman by standing in line.
But later in the competition, in the rematch at Delhi’s Arun Jaitley Stadium, Kohli and Ganguly chose to put their differences behind them with a post-match handshake.
A year later, after RCB’s convincing victory against DC at home, Ganguly gave Kohli the greatest respect, proving that their relationship remained unchanged. Ganguly took off his cap before shaking hands with Kohli, who reciprocated with a smile and a “Thank you” as the players and support personnel from both teams gathered for the customary post-match handshake. When the former captain of India met with the other members of the RCB team, he later donned his cap.
With their fifth consecutive victory in the ongoing IPL 2024 competition against DC, RCB moved up to fifth place in the standings and maintained their chances of making it to the postseason. Delhi dropped to sixth place when Rishabh Pant was not available for the game due to a BCCI suspension for violating the IPL Code of Conduct.
