The opening match of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025 season witnessed Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) thump Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) by seven wickets at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata. It was a jam-packed stadium with RCB fans as well and one of the fans attracted all the attention during the second innings by invading the pitch.
He scaled the fence at the Eden Gardens, breached the security, jumped over the boundary line to run towards Kohli and touched his feet. The former RCB skipper also hugged him before the security officials took him away. The fan Rituparno Pakhira spent a day in police custody but for him it was a small price to pay after getting a chance to 'touch his god' and hug him.
In fact, Rituparno has now revealed the conversation between him and Kohli after invaded the pitch. Interestingly, the cricketer asked his name and also told him to run away quickly while also telling the security officials to not hit him. "The moment I touched his feet, Virat Kohli sir asked by name and said, 'Jaldi se bhaag ja (run away fast). He even asked the security to not hit me," the 18-year-old fan said.
Post the incident, Rituparno Pakhira was arrested and slapped with BNS sections on the application of criminal force, criminal trespass and reckless action that put the lives of others in danger. For the same reason, he was sent to police custody for a day.
As for the match, RCB won the clash pretty comfortably by seven wickets, chasing down the 175-run target in just the 17th over. Kohli was one of the stars remaining unbeaten with a half-century to his name even as Phil Salt also smacked a 50+ score on his RCB debut.