PKL 2018 Season 6: 5 controversies that rocked the last season

The Pro Kabaddi League (PKL) has completed five seasons and over the past few years, it has given us some memorable moments, engaging the audience with nail-biting finishes and stellar performances from the players.

But for every cherished memory, there is also an infamous one. The PKL is no stranger to controversy as can be seen from some of the mishaps that took place during the league. While the PKL itself has not been greatly affected in the aftermath of these incidents, they will certainly remain in the minds of the casual viewers.

On that note, here are five controversies that rocked the PKL.

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#5 Amit Rathi Red Card

Rahul Chaudhari could never have seen this coming. As a defender in kabaddi, players are willing to risk life and limb to stop raiders from scoring points against them. But on this occasion, Rahul Chaudhari got much more than he bargained for.

In a game between the Bengaluru Bulls and Telugu Titans, the defender received an inadvertent kick in his face from raider Amit Rathi which might as well have been called a superkick.

As a result of this piece of madness, Rathi received the first ever red card in PKL history and he will be remembered by fans mainly for this moment of madness. Fortunately, nobody was injured.

Ravinder Pahal received a red card in Season 5 after getting into a heated argument with the referee.

#4 Pakistani players in Season 5 auction

Waseem Sajjad (top left) did not feature in season 5

The organisers decided to have the very best talent pool for team owners in the season 5 auction to choose from. Out of the 62 international players, 10 of them were from Pakistan.

There was no doubting the ability of the Pakistani players, but the auction came at a time when tensions between India and Pakistan were at an all-time high, because of which the players went unsold.

The teams were unwilling to invest in players from across the border as it was uncertain if they would be issued visas.

#3 Sonu Narwal axed from Haryana Steelers squad

Sonu

Narwal

is not expected to feature in season 5

In a bizarre turn of events, star raider in the Steelers' line up, Sonu Narwal, was nowhere to be seen on the Haryana side's official website and details were sketchy on the matter.

A successful raider in the past three seasons, Narwal was poised to be the glue to hold the team together in their debut season. Later, it was confirmed that he had been left out of the squad as he did not meet the required fitness standards.

#2 Rohit Kumar's wife commits suicide

Rohit Kumar's wife tragically committed suicide while the player was away

Bengaluru Bulls kabaddi star Rohit Kumar saw tragedy strike his family when his wife Lalita committed suicide in her home while he was away on kabaddi duty.

It was a truly shocking moment that caught everyone unawares.

Rohit, along with his father, had been arrested by the police in October last year when his wife had alleged that her in-laws had harassed her.

However, Rohit was released on bail in December and was a part of the Season 5 auctions that saw him fetch a huge price of Rs 81 lakhs.

#1 Sunny Leone national anthem fiasco

Sunny Leone was accused of singing words of the national anthem incorrectly

Sunny Leone has always been an entertainer. The Bollywood actress was invited by the PKL administrators to sing the national anthem before a live crowd ahead of a kabaddi match last year. Things appeared to be going according to plan but it was soon revealed that a complaint had been issued against the actress for singing the words of the national anthem incorrectly.

It was unclear what exactly the issue was and it was most likely just a way to garner publicity at the expense of Bollywood's most controversial actress.