Arshdeep Singh, the Punjab Kings speedster, is making noise for all the wrong reasons, and the left-arm pacer continues to draw flak from fans for his antics on social media. On the eve of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 match against the Mumbai Indians in Dharamsala, Arshdeep was accused of ‘casual racism’ on social media after fans did not like the way he addressed Tilak Varma. It seemed the youngster would have learnt from his mistake; however, Arshdeep seems in no mood to take any criticism lying down.
After the loss against the Mumbai Indians in Dharamsala, a fan tagged Arshdeep, urging him to stop using Punjab’s name in the IPL, claiming that his actions were bringing embarrassment to the supporters of the team.
“What have you done for Punjab that you feel embarrassed, Singh saab? People who still ask for money from family for chips and cold drinks are now advising me on whether to keep the name or not?” Arshdeep wrote in response on Snapchat.
The Punjab Kings are also going through a rut in the 19th edition of the T20 tournament, as the Shreyas Iyer-led side has lost five games in a row and is in real danger of missing the playoffs. The team must win their remaining two games, and even if they do, there’s no guarantee the side will reach the playoffs.
The last few days have seen the Punjab Kings being involved in controversies left, right and centre. It all started with the team lashing out at “false narratives”, urging the sports journalists to verify news before posting it on social media. However, hours later, PBKS updated their post, removing the word “sports journalists.”
Prabhsimran Singh, the wicketkeeper-batter, then also hit back at reports of him gaining several kilos in a matter of days. He posted a shirtless picture on Instagram, flaunting his body, and dropping a silence emoji.
Arshdeep-Tilak incident
On the eve of the game between Mumbai and Punjab, Arshdeep faced the wrath of fans for remarks he made about Tilak Varma in a Snapchat video. In the clip, Arshdeep panned the camera towards Tilak and said, “Oye Andhere, sunscreen lagaaya?” which means, “Hey, dark one, did you apply sunscreen?”
In the same clip, he then later moved the camera towards Tilak’s Mumbai Indians’ teammate Naman Dhir, saying, “Aa dekh, aa hai Punjab da asli noor, te aa hai nakli,” which translates to, “Look, this is the real glow of Punjab, and this is fake.”
This was not the first time Arshdeep had made such comments; earlier, he made the same remarks against the Gujarat Titans and India batter Sai Sudharsan. In the clip, Arshdeep pointed the camera towards Sudharsan, saying, “Wait, let me clean my camera lens, it can’t capture Sai. Your lips can’t be seen in the video.”