IPL Rewind: When Virat Kohli Lost His Cool At Third Umpire In Dramatic LBW Fumble

Virat Kohli Once Lost His Cool At Third Umpire [Source: X]

Star Indian cricketer Virat Kohli has often been well known for his sheer passion towards the game. However, the same zeal sometimes leads to emotional outbursts, as seen in the IPL 2021 eliminator.

RCB were up against KKR in the IPL 2021 eliminator contest held at Sharjah. In the first innings, Bengaluru scored just 138 runs at the loss of 7 wickets, thus putting their bowlers under a lot of pressure.

When Virat Kohli had a heated confrontation with the umpire

That being said, defending a modest total of 138, Virat Kohli was fully charged up while leading RCB. The flashpoint came when Rahul Tripathi was given not out on an LBW appeal by on-field umpire Virender Sharma. 

Convinced it was plumb, Kohli opted for DRS, and replays confirmed it, with the decision overturned. But what really escalated the situation was that this was already the third umpiring call overturned in the match. 

Frustration boiled over as Virat Kohli slammed the ball into the ground and walked up to Sharma for a heated exchange, forcing square-leg umpire Chris Gaffaney to step in and calm things down. 

Despite the decision going in RCB’s favour, Kohli’s outburst didn’t make sense to fans and critics as he was subject to heavy backlash after the game.

Also Read - Jason Holder Catch Controversy- Will Virat Kohli Face IPL Ban For Losing Cool On Umpire?

KKR had the last laugh vs RCB

Having said that, KKR had the last laugh against Virat Kohli as they chased down the total in 19.4 overs to knock RCB out of the competition.

Shubman Gill and Venkatesh Iyer stitched a 41-run opening partnership, whereas Nitish Rana and Sunil Narine contributed 23 and 26 runs, respectively. 

RCB bowlers, meanwhile, had an off-day. Mohammed Siraj, Harshal Patel and Yuzvendra Chahal picked up 2 wickets each. However, the total was too low to make a game out of it.

KKR went on to beat Delhi Capitals in Qualifier 2 to advance to the finals, only to lose against CSK by 27 runs.

Virat Kohli loses his cool again

Fast forward to IPL 2026, and Virat Kohli was caught in the act again. During the RCB vs GT game at Ahmedabad, Rajat Patidar went for an aggressive pull but only managed a top edge, sending the ball looping towards deep backward square leg. 

Jason Holder, meanwhile, sprinted to his right and completed a low catch inches above the turf. It looked spectacular in real time, but RCB believed Holder lost control, and the ball touched the grass.

Virat Kohli was again seen having an animated and heated conversation with the fourth umpire at the boundary rope. He protested as RCB coach Andy Flower joined him alongside Krunal Pandya. However, the umpires had made their decision, and Patidar had to walk back on 19 off 15 balls.

Also Read - Virat Kohli Punishing Kagiso Rabada Justified As RCB Star’s ‘Weak Bowler’ Remark Resurfaces