Following their heated altercation at the Ekana Cricket Stadium in Lucknow, both Virat Kohli and Gautam Gambhir were charged with Level 2 offence under Article 2.21 of the IPL Code of Conduct which involves a fine of 100% match fees for each one of them. The incident happened after the match between the Lucknow Super Giants and Royal Challengers Bangalore had finished, which the hosts lost by 18 runs.
Meanwhile, Naveen Ul Haq, who was initially involved in a heated exchange with Virat Kohli during the 17th over of the LSG innings in their pursuit of 127 run target for victory, was also charged with Level 1 offence under Article 2.21 of the IPL Code of Conduct, including a fine of 50% match fees.
According to Virat Kohli’s current IPL contract for the Royal Challengers Bangalore, which amounts to INR 15 crores as a retained player, he will be levied a fine of INR 1.07 crore as a match fee on a pro-rata basis for playing 14 matches in the current edition of the tournament. In case RCB makes it through to the playoffs and final, that fine could come down to INR 1 crore or less.
Now the question arises, will Virat Kohli pay that fine to the IPL? The simple answer to this question is a resounding no. It’s because most of the team management in the Indian Premier League reportedly takes care of the fines imposed on their players as a gesture for their work on and off the field throughout the season, even when it's not a contractual obligation.
An RCB source was quoted as saying this to Cricbuzz, “ Players put their bodies on the line for the team and we respect that and as a culture, we don't cut the fine from their salaries.”
Furthermore, Gautam Gambhir’s salary as a team mentor for the Lucknow Super Giants is unknown, but his fine is expected to be taken care of by the team management. Also, since Naveen Ul Haq’s IPL contract amounts to INR 50 lakhs, his fine of around INR 1.8 lakhs is most likely going to be handled by the LSG management as well.