The memories of Virat Kohli's verbal altercations with Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) players during the Indian Premier League (IPL) were still fresh in the minds of some fans as Afghanistan faced Bangladesh in the 2023 ICC World Cup. Naveen-ul-Haq, who played for LSG in the IPL last season under the mentorship of Gautam Gambhir, became the target of trolling by Kohli fans when Afghanistan defended a modest total in their World Cup opener at Dharamsala's Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association Stadium.

During the IPL 2023 season, Naveen had a heated exchange with Kohli during a match between Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) and LSG. Kohli was also involved in verbal clashes with LSG mentor Gambhir and West Indies batsman Kyle Mayers in that infamous IPL encounter. Naveen is believed to have made fun of Kohli through his Instagram stories during the IPL season. Kohli fans didn't hold back, and the viral video of spectators teasing Naveen became a hot topic on social media. Check out the video here:

While talking about his spat with Virat Kohli, Naveen-ul-Haq claimed that it was the RCB former captain who initiated the verbal confrontation players during the IPL match. Naveen asserted that Kohli should not have made the comments he did during and after the match, shifting the blame for the altercation onto the Indian captain. The scuffle during the IPL resulted in fines for both Kohli and Gautam Gambhir, the mentor of LSG. Naveen admitted to a Level 1 offence under Article 2.21 of the IPL Code of Conduct.

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In the ICC World Cup match between Afghanistan and Bangladesh, Naveen had a challenging day as he was dismissed for a six-ball duck and conceded 31 runs in 5.4 overs. However, he did manage to dismiss Mehidy Hasan Miraz (57) to open his account in the World Cup 2023. Naveen had previously announced that he would retire from the 50-over format after the World Cup but would continue to be available for Afghanistan in the shortest format of the game.