Pro Kabaddi League 2017 Season 5: 5 biggest controversies so far in PKL 5

The Pro Kabaddi League began in 2014 to a lot of fanfare and ever since, it's produced multiple breathtaking moments on the mat. However, unlike the previous editions, season 5 is proving to be one hell of a ride for players, referees and fans alike.

You could make an extensive list of all the unsavory moments that have dominated the headlines for all the wrong reasons. Let's take a look at five of the most controversial moments so far in Season 5.

#1 Anup Kumar vs Jasvir Singh

Anup Kumar lost his cool, not on one but two occasions. Take a moment for that to sink in. U Mumba's captain has rarely been flustered like he has this season, that too on his home turf. The Mumbai leg of the PKL saw the Jaipur Pink Panthers battle U Mumba twice within a span of six days and both the matches went right down to the wire.

However, rather than the results, it was Jasvir's antics and Anup's reactions that turned heads. Singh was constantly engaged in verbal altercations with U Mumba and Kumar didn't like it one bit, openly expressing his disgust at Jaipur's experienced campaigner.

#2 Ravinder Pahal's red card

Ravinder could not control his emotions

We thought Bengaluru Bulls coach Randhir Singh was pushing the limits. Little did we expect his chief defender, Ravinder Pahal to outshine him when it comes to controversy. Against Bengal Warriors, the right corner completely lost his cool at the officials.

After a monumental struggle between the Bulls defender and Warriors raider Jang Kun Lee, the referee decided to award the points to the attacker, much to the annoyance of Pahal. He vented his frustration about a disputable decision by spewing cuss words at the referee and what followed was the official showing the first red card of Season 5 to Pahal.

#3 Rakesh Kumar calls Pardeep Narwal a copycat

Rakesh accused Pardeep of copying the dubki

Rakesh Kumar, an Arjuna awardee and a former India captain, is one of the most senior players in the PKL. He realizes the respect he commands from his juniors and hence never hesitates from speaking his mind. However, when he accused Patna's star man, Pardeep Narwal of copying the dubki, all hell broke loose.

The usually calm Pirates coach, Ram Mehar Singh responded with a stinging reply asking Rakesh to be within his limits. Contrary to what Rakesh suggested, Mehar Singh proclaimed that he's never seen a dubki like Pardeep's. We can only wonder what Rahul Chaudhari would have been thinking when this controversy broke.

#4 The 'water bottle' incident

The Bulls coach just loves the attention

The Bengaluru Bulls coach Randhir Singh lost his cool and went on a tirade against the referees after his side's loss to the Patna Pirates in August. Emotions were running high and things went out of control in the second half as Singh received a suspension for engaging in a heated argument with the referee.

It later turned out the referee had asked the coach to pick up water bottles from the mat after a time out and Singh simply refused to do so. There are some things that you just don't do and asking Randhir Singh to clean up the mat happens to be one of them.

#5 Matches get postponed due to heavy rains in Mumbai

Never before was a Pro Kabaddi match ever postponed

Tuesday, 29th August 2017 - the day when the financial capital of India was hit by monstrous incessant rainfall for over 24 hours. Never before had a Pro Kabaddi League match been postponed.

The extremely unfortunate circumstances left the organizers no choice but to cancel two matches. None of the four teams could make it to the venue on time due to the non-stop rainfall that severely flooded several areas of Mumbai city. The Bengaluru Bulls were able to return to their hotel only at 2 am after walking in the rain for nearly three hours, such was the gravity of the situation.