In the high-voltage IPL 2025 final between Punjab Kings (PBKS) and Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB), legendary cricketer Sunil Gavaskar strongly criticised the on-field umpires. He slammed them for ignoring what he described as “a dangerous act” by Virat Kohli.
The incident took place during the 12th over of RCB’s innings. Kohli completed a quick second run off Yuzvendra Chahal’s bowling. However, while doing so, he ran straight down the centre of the pitch.
Gavaskar, who was on live commentary at the time, openly questioned the lack of action. He argued that such running could potentially damage the pitch. This, in turn, could affect conditions for the team batting second.
RCB Post 190/9 in 20 Overs in IPL 2025 Final
RCB were left to bat by PBKS at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad. With boundaries elusive, Kohli was keen to keep the scoreboard moving through singles and twos in a hurry. In the 12th over, having pushed the ball past long-on, Kohli asked for a second run. His batting partner, Liam Livingstone, safely grounded with a dive at the non-striker’s end.
However, Gavaskar was quick to point out that Kohli had run straight down the pitch, which is typically frowned upon due to the potential damage it can cause to the playing surface. “Kohli is a swift runner between the wickets. As soon as he hit the ball, he knew it was two,” Gavaskar said. “No umpire will ever tell him. There he is, running straight down the pitch again. Punjab Kings are batting second,” he added.
RCB was finally able to muster a challenging score of 190/9 in their 20 overs, leaving their bowlers something to hold on to in this high-impact encounter in the 2025 IPL Final.
Though the umpires refrained from stepping in, Gavaskar’s comments have initiated discussion on if big players ever get away with these things.
Conservative Kohli Approach Draws Reactions
Besides the pitch controversy, Kohli’s batting strategy also came under criticism. Famous for his high strike rate this season about 150 he adopted a more prudent path in the final. Rather than taking risks and smashing those big shots, he aimed at rotating the strike and giving more opportunities to power-hitters such as Phil Salt and Rajat Patidar.
Former Australia opener Matthew Hayden, who was part of the English broadcast team, questioned the approach. “200 is just a par score here,” he noted, suggesting Kohli should’ve been more aggressive.
Kohli then got out in the 15th over to Azmatullah Omarzai after scoring 43 off 35 balls. At the first strategic time-out, RCB coaches Andy Flower and Dinesh Karthik were noticed having a heated discussion with Kohli, probably asking him to pick up the pace of scoring.
PBKS captain Shreyas Iyer won the toss and chose to bowl first. Both sides were unchanged for the final.
