IPL 2024: Is the rift over between Virat Kohli and Sourav Ganguly?

There’s a lot said and heard about the equation between former India captain Sourav Ganguly and Virat Kohli. A year ago, at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium, during the IPL 2023 match between the Delhi Capitals and Royal Challengers Bengaluru (then known as Royal Challengers Bangalore), Virat Kohli and Sourav Ganguly's actions throughout the game showed that things were not going well between the two. The two also unfollowed one another on Instagram. But following the home team's 47-run victory over DC on Sunday, Ganguly paid the former RCB player his utmost respect at the same location.

There was nothing hidden about the rift between both the players. A month after giving up his T20I captaincy in 2021, Kohli lost his ODI captaincy. This move set up a heated argument between him and the Ganguly-led BCCI administration at the time. Later, in January 2022, the veteran Indian batsman gave up his position as Test captain, which resulted in a dramatic change in the two sides' relationship. During the IPL 2023, RCB vs. DC game, Kohli gave DC's director of cricket, Ganguly, a death stare as he passed by. After the game, the former India opener opted not to shake hands with the RCB batsman by standing in line.

In the match against DC at Delhi's Arun Jaitley Stadium, Kohli and Ganguly chose to put their differences behind them with a post-match handshake. Before they met, Ganguly took off his cap and even congratulated Kohli, to which the latter smiled and replied, "Thank you." When the former captain of India met with the other members of the RCB team, he later wore his cap.

With their fifth consecutive victory in the ongoing IPL 2024 competition against DC, RCB has moved up to fifth place in the points table and maintained their chances of making it to the playoffs. Meanwhile, Delhi slipped to sixth place after Rishabh Pant was not available for the game due to a BCCI suspension for violating the IPL Code of Conduct.