IPL 2016: Gautam Gambhir apologises for misconduct during Royal Challengers Bangalore match

Kolkata Knight Riders skipper Gautam Gambhir has apologised for his outburst during their match against Royal Challengers Bangalore, for which he was fined 15 per cent of his match fees.

The left-hand batsman's violent behaviour was caught on camera, and it shows him kicking the chair to celebrate after his teammate Suryakumar Yadav hit a boundary in the 19th over. KKR won the match by five wickets, thanks to Yusuf Pathan and Andre Russell's 89-run fifth wicket partnership at the M. Chinnaswamy stadium in Bangalore on Monday.

Though the outburst may have happened in the heat of the moment, even the commentators were wondering why the Delhi batsman would react this way when his side was winning.

Gambhir was fined for abuse of ground equipment. "Gambhir admitted the Level 1 offence (Article 2.1.8) of abuse of cricket equipment or clothing, ground equipment or fixtures and fittings during a match. For Level 1 breaches of the IPL Code of Conduct, the Match Referee's decision is final and binding," an IPL statement said.

Writing in his column for The New Indian Express, Gambhir on Wednesday accepted that it was a mistake to have behaved that way. "Yes, I committed a mistake. In hindsight, I shouldn't have kicked," he said.

He also said that he was taken aback by the fact that the incident has overshadowed the performances of his team. "I am not surprised that 'furniture damage' is being served as the main course while Yusuf Pathan and Andre Russell batting exploits are being relegated as side dishes. We are Indians and we love our spicy stuff, isn't it? And that clip of mine where I am testing the stability of a dugout chair is loaded with masala."

The episode stirred an outrage on social media, with many fans taking to Twitter to express their disappointment over Gambhir's attitude.

Gambhir, saying that he is embarrassed about the incident, also said that cricketers are entitled to have emotions. "My brush with the authorities is not new. While I am repentant and embarrassed, I have never got the answer to one very basic question: Aren't role models entitled to have emotions? Aren't they human enough to express themselves or release their pent-up feelings? I think they too are by-products of the times and the society they are living in.”

"Maybe, it is a little too much to expect them to behave as if they are participating in a Sunday Mass while actually they are engaged in fiercely fought game of cricket," he said.

The 34-year old cricketer has been involved in several such controversies before. He got into a scuffle with his Bengal teammate Manoj Tiwary during a Ranji trophy match last year and also had an altercation with RCB skipper Virat Kohli during an IPL match in 2013.