Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) rising star Harshit Rana said that his fans dared him to perform the flying-kiss celebration against Virat Kohli. However, the right-arm bowler stated that he has huge respect for Kohli and regards him as a player he greatly respects. This event has thrown another element of drama into the already high-voltage contests between KKR and RCB.

Rana, who recently won his maiden IPL title with KKR, created headlines earlier in the season. His performance against SunRisers Hyderabad (SRH) in the opening match at Eden Gardens thrust him into the spotlight, although for tense reasons. The IPL and BCCI officials were not pleased with the Delhi-based pacer's flying kiss send-off to SRH's Mayank Agarwal.

Rana's celebratory gesture against Agarwal resulted in a 10% penalty from his match fees and a harsh warning to keep his behaviour under control. The authorities emphasised the significance of upholding sportsmanship and respect on the pitch. Regardless, Rana's joyful approach remained popular throughout the season.

When asked if he would do the same thing after getting his senior statesman Virat Kohli out or not, Rana admitted, "I am telling you. I didn't pre-determine that I'll go and do it in the first match. And even in the second game. People dared me to try and do it in the RCB match. But I didn't tease him . I have respect for him. I have respect for every player, but no, I wouldn't do it in front of him," Harshit Rana added. 

When asked about the flying kiss celebration against Mayank Agarwal in the first game of IPL 2024, he admitted that it wasn't done with any wrong intentions and that it happened in the heat of the moment.

"I didn't deliberately do it – the flying kiss. When I took the wicket of Mayank bhaiya… actually when he hit the ball in the air, I got close to him during my follow-through. It happened instinctively and it came out," Rana told Shubhankar Mishra.