IPL 2018: Five biggest controversies of the season

The biggest cricketing extravaganza of the year, the Indian Premier League (IPL) is a tournament every Cricket lover waits for with bated breath. The 2018 edition of the IPL was an exciting roller-coaster ride of sporting brilliance and nail-biting encounters, all wrapped in one. But sporting leagues as big as this aren’t without their share of minor hiccups along the way and IPL wasn’t any different this time around.

From the infamous ‘slap-gate’ incident back in 2008 to the ugly on-field spat between Virat Kohli and Gautam Gambhir in 2013, IPL and controversies have always existed in close proximity of each other. In 2018, we witnessed several unfortunate turn of events, be it a rumoured tiff between a franchise owner and its coach or a captain hurling abuses at a young bowler. Here’s a look at the 5 biggest controversies of this season.

1. Dinesh Karthik verbally abusing young Prasidh Krishna

Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) skipper, Dinesh Karthik is usually known for maintaining a MS Dhoni-esque composure on the field, calm and cool through the worst of situations. However, the batsman-keeper lost his temper and chose to hurl some of the choicest of abuses at young Prasidh Krishna for a fielding slip-up during the second qualifier – an action which raised quite a few eyebrows amongst the onlookers.

Since the match was a high-pressure one with the winner of it all set to go through to the finals, the KKR skipper had been intent on keeping things tight while they were bowling against the Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) in the first innings. As a result, when 22 year-old Krishna chose to take an erratic shy at the non-striker’s end on a shot by Shakib Al Hasan and ended up conceding an extra run, Karthik displayed a rare flare of temper and indignantly called the young bowler a “f***ing fool.” The action was caught on camera and was subsequently frowned upon by many as it seemed a little too hard on the youngster.