Last Sunday, the repeat of the IPL 2025 final between Royal Challengers Bengaluru and Punjab Kings at the HPCA Stadium witnessed a frosty exchange between PBKS bowler Harpreet Brar and Virat Kohli. The incident saw Kohli lose his cool briefly before confronting Brar, who has now revealed what exactly unfolded.
Speaking on the PBKS podcast, Brar first recalled that dismissing Kohli during an IPL 2023 clash remains one of his fondest cricket memories. He then opened up about the heated moment from last Sunday, explaining how a throw in the field unintentionally upset the former India captain.
“I always feel blessed that I played well against him. That wicket is a huge memory for me,” Brar told Harleen Deol. “It was an afternoon game and the captain had asked us to make one-bounce throws. Everyone was doing it and Virat said nothing to anyone. I made a proper throw, but Marcus Stoinis got confused. He took a step back because he wasn’t sure whether to catch it directly or after one bounce. That’s when Virat looked at me.”
Brar added that while stationed at point, he could sense Kohli staring at him from the non-striker’s end. But instead of making eye contact, he chose to avoid looking in that direction, hoping the matter would die down after the over.
“I thought once the over ended, he would forget about it. But no,” Brar said with a laugh. “When I was about to start my run-up, he came to me and said, ‘It’s been 20 years.’ I told him, ‘You’re taking it the wrong way. I didn’t throw it intentionally. We were just trying to reverse the ball so it would help in the death overs.’ Eventually, though, the game never even went till the death overs.”
PBKS eventually lost the match after failing to chase down 223 at home. It marked their sixth straight defeat of the season and further dented their playoff hopes. RCB, meanwhile, sealed a top-two finish after registering their ninth win in 13 matches.
