Naveen-ul-Haq Reaches Dubai, Has 'Lots to Say' After Being Brutally Trolled on Social Media

Naveen-ul-Haq isn’t backing down. After Lucknow Super Giants exit from IPL 2023 Eliminator triggered another round of trolling on social media aimed at the Afghan pacer, Naveen has shared a post on Instagram thanking LSG coaches and management alongside a picture of him chucking ears after the Chepauk crowd teased him with chants of ‘Kohli, Kohli’.

“Have lots to say but for now all I’ll say is thank you for all the love and support to the coaches,management and everyone involved in this journey thanks,” Naveen wrote on Instagram.

Naveen took four wickets against Mumbai Indians on Wednesday night but LSG failed to chase down 183 and were bowled out for 101, exiting the tournament in the playoffs for the second time in a row.

The 23-year-old fast bowler ended his IPL season with 11 wickets from seven innings with 4/38 against MI in the Eliminator being his best performance.

Naveen gained notoriety after being involved in a heated exchange with Virat Kohli following a tense clash between LSG and Royal Challengers Bangalore earlier this month in Lucknow.

Following that, he was given the nickname ‘The Mango Man’ by his LSG team-mate Nicholas Pooran thanks to an Instagram post Naveen shared after Kohli’s dismissal during a match between MI and RCB.

It was construed to be an indirect dig at Kohli and later, he also shared a popular meme depicting a man laughing hysterically following RCB’s elimination from the IPL playoffs race.

The fans at the venue where Naveen has played have been teasing him by changing Kohli’s name every time he’s bowling or fielding near the boundary.

“Well I don’t concentrate on the outside or the noise from outside or anything else,” Naveen told reporters on Wednesday. “I just focus on my own cricket and my own process. Crowd chanting or anyone saying something doesn’t affect me. As professional sportsmen you have to take this in your stride. One do when you don’t good for your team, fans are going to give it to you. And when you do good for your team, same people are going to chant your name. Basically this is part and parcel of the game.”