Virat Kohli has often made the headlines for his aggressive intent on the field. Not many have been able to look straight up at his eyes and play with fire but Khaleel Ahmed of the Chennai Super Kings happened to show an intent for the daunting task. The left-arm pacer, who was engaged in an animated chat with Kohli, the last time CSK and RCB interacted, showed signs of courage with his wild reaction after assisting in the former RCB captain's wicket on Saturday. 

Sam Curran was summoned with the white cherry in hand for his second burst after the eleventh over when Kohli looked at his fluent best. On the fifth ball of the over, the Englishman bowled a short ball outside the stumps, asking the batter to reach for it.

However, the former Indian skipper waited for the ball to come and tried to attempt an upper cut. The timing wasn't appropriate on it, and the ball flew straight into the hands of Khaleel Ahmed, stationed at backward point. Having grabbed the ball with firm hands, the Rajasthan pacer threw the ball into the ground out of frustration, sparking a new chapter in their previous controversy.

Khaleel Ahmed takes a brilliant catch, and Virat Kohli walks back for 6⃣2⃣

📸: JioHotstar#IPL2025 #RCBvsCSK #KhaleelAhmed #ViratKohli #CricketTwitter pic.twitter.com/lxpwjky5tZ

— InsideSport (@InsideSportIND) May 3, 2025

Virat Kohli vs Khaleel Ahmed in IPL

Runs - 46
Balls - 25
Avg - 46
SR - 184
4s/6s - 3/4

I can understand bro 😭 pic.twitter.com/ZG3jZtxGJO

— Paras (@parasVK_) May 3, 2025

 

KHALEEL AHMED Smashing virat kohli balls on ground 🤣😭 deserved treatment pic.twitter.com/VofK0oPtYW

— 🆅🅸🅺🅺🅰🆂🅷👣 (@Vikkash2905) May 3, 2025

 

चल क्या रहा है दोनों में? Khaleel Ahmed ने Virat Kohli का कैच लेने के बाद बॉल जोर से पटकी #KhaleelAhmed #ViratKohli𓃵 #RCBvsCSK pic.twitter.com/S5o9PpsmAl

— Anil Thakur (@Ani_iTV) May 3, 2025

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Backdrop of Kohli-Khaleel rivalry

During the eighth match of the ensuing IPL edition, CSK and RCB faced off against one another at the M.A. Chidambaram Stadium, Chennai, where Khaleel almost outfoxed Kohli in the third over itself. Donning the new ball, the left-armer bowled a length delivery on the first ball of the third over, that nipped enough to beat the inside edge of the right-hander's intended flick and thud the pad. As it seemed to the naked eye, Khaleel overcelebrated before Kohli's decision to review turned out in RCB's favour.

Following the match, Kohli was seen engaging in an animated discussion with the CSK pacer, who was trying to explain what happened on the field. By his gestures, Khaleel looked apologetic, but Kohli seemed stubborn. The recent catch of Khaleel seemed to have fueled the rivalry to a new chapter, with the 26-year-old yet to respond.

At the time of writing, RCB were batting at 188/5 in 18.5 overs with Khaleel being spanked for a flurry of boundaries by Romario Shepherd.