Watch- Hardik Pandya, Murali Kartik involved in brutal fight before Raipur T20I

Hardik Pandya involved in huge fight [Source: X]Just like Virat Kohli, Hardik Pandya is an animated character, and he never shies away from expressing his emotions on and off the field. One such emotional burst took place before the second T20I between India and New Zealand in Raipur as the all-rounder was involved in a heated argument.He had an angry exchange of words with commentator Murali Kartik, and what started as a light-hearted chat turned ugly towards the end as both gentlemen had a fierce look in their eyes.Hardik involved in heated argumentIt all began when Hardik walked out of the pavilion for a practice session before the game commenced. Murali Kartik approached the Indian all-rounder as he greeted the Indian star with a smile on his face. However, what started as a smile turned into grim faces as Kartik said something to Hardik and the cricketer hit back at him.Sonu @Cricket_live247 🚨 Hardik Pandya angry at Murali Kartik – Hardik Pandya had an argument with Murali Kartik before the IND vs NZ 2nd ODI in Raipur. Jan 23, 2026, 6:32 PM At one point, Hardik even pointed fingers at the Indian commentator, as Kartik looked as if he was trying to justify his actions; however, Hardik looked disinterested as he hardly made any eye contact with 49-year-old. The real issue between the two is yet to be known, but it seems Kartik’s past comments on Hardik might have triggered the Indian all-rounder as the duo exchanged fiery words.During the toss between India and New Zealand in the second T20I, Kartik was at the centre of controversy as he mispronounced Raipur as "Raichur", and fans slammed him for his actions.Cricketopia @CricketopiaCom Raichur? How he still able to continue as a commentator? Jan 23, 2026, 7:17 PM Kartik's past comments that might have triggered HardikHardik is an emotional cricketer, and even in the past, he has expressed his emotions on the field. There have been numerous occasions when Kartik has slammed Hardik for his on-field decisions, and perhaps such events didn’t go well with the Indian star.Former India cricketer Murali Kartik once criticised Hardik, the MI captain, for retaining the strike during the final over of their 12-run defeat to Lucknow Super Giants. Pandya opted to keep the strike and denied Mitchell a chance to take down Avesh Khan.“I didn’t get what MI were trying to achieve. You felt Tilak was having an off day and wasn’t timing the ball well and bringing in Santner was a better option. If you believed Santner could hit big, then why didn’t Hardik give him a strike in the final over? Perhaps the deliveries Pandya missed might have been hit for sixes by Mitchell,” Kartik said on Cricbuzz.When Kartik bashed Hardik for not bowling the last overIn the same IPL season (IPL 2025), Kartik slammed Hardik for not bowling the last over against GT, and instead giving it to Deepak Chahar, who is not a death overs specialist.“He (Pandya) should have bowled. You are the captain, you are used to such conditions,” Murali Kartik told Cricbuzz. “Just because you had one bad over doesn’t mean it stops you from having a great over the second time. Because that is what good bowlers do. One spell doesn’t make or break them. I would have wanted the skipper himself because he is used to it.However, these are all speculations, but the real reason is yet to be revealed as the visuals of Hardik arguing with Kartik went viral and it turned out to be an ugly prospect before the clash.