"What exactly is a 100 per cent match fee?" - Sunil Gavaskar questions penalties given to Virat Kohli & Gautam Gambhir

Former Indian batter and renowned commentator Sunil Gavaskar has demanded strict action against Virat Kohli and Gautam Gambhir following their verbal spat after the match between Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) and Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) on Monday, May 1.

It all started when LSG tail-enders Naveen-ul-Haq and Amit Mishra were batting in an unsuccessful chase of 127. Kohli and Naveen got involved in a heated exchange of words before being separated by Mishra and the on-field umpires.

Things flared up after the match, when players from the two sides engaged in the customary handshakes. Kohli and Naveen shook hands but again exchanged words. That apparently made Naveen livid, and he subsequently pulled out of the handshake.

LSG opener Kyle Mayers went on to have a conversation with Kohli, which is when team mentor Gautam Gambhir grabbed the West Indies all-rounder's hand and pulled him away.

Just moments after Gambhir was on his way, he and Kohli were seen charging against each other despite attempts from teammates to separate them. Amit Mishra once again was the peacemaker and he asked the duo to return back.

Kohli and Gambhir were fined 100 per cent of their match fees, while Naveen was fined 50 per cent.

Speaking to Star Sports on the entire LSG vs RCB row, Sunil Gavaskar questioned the severity of the penalty given to the players.

"Well, I saw the visuals only a while ago, I did not see the match live yesterday. These things never look good. What is a 100 per cent match fee? What exactly is a 100 per cent match fee? If it is Kohli, who is on maybe Rs 17 crore for RCB, which means Rs. 17 crore for a possible 16 matches, including the semi-finals, and finals. So you are talking about a crore of rupees. Is he going to be fined Rs. 1 crore and more? Well, that's a very, very stiff fine," Sunil Gavaskar told Star Sports.

Gavaskar added:

"I don't know what Gambhir's situation is. They should ensure that this is not repeated. You are hoping that this is not repeated because it's such a stiff fine, such a stiff punishment.

"You want to play it hard, play it competitively. During the time that we played, there was a bit of banter, but there was none of this aggression that we see now. A lot of it has got to do with the fact that everything is on TV too. Because of the fact that you are on TV, you tend to do maybe just that little bit extra."

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Sunil Gavaskar mentions Harbhajan-Sreesanth incident

Former Indian cricketer Harbhajan Singh was also involved in an infamous incident in the IPL. After a match between Mumbai Indians and Kings XI Punjab (now Punjab Kings) in IPL 2008, Harbhajan slapped Punjab fast bowler S Sreesanth.

The incident is still often discussed, even after 15 years have gone by. Harbhajan was banned from the remainder of IPL 2008 and was only paid for the first two matches.

While mentioning the example of Harbhajan's punishment, Sunil Gavaskar suggested that the IPL authorities could ban Kohli and Gambhir for a few matches.

"So, my point, do something which will make sure, these things don't happen again. If it has today, you know, like it happened with Harbhajan and Sreesanth 10 years ago, that you have to ask them for maybe step aside for a couple of matches. Make sure you do something that ensure that these things don't happen and also something that will hurt the team. That's a stiff one," Sunil Gavaskar concluded.

LSG will face Chennai Super Kings at the Ekana Cricket Stadium in Lucknow on Wednesday, May 3. Meanwhile, RCB will play their next game against the Delhi Capitals at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in Delhi on May 6.