The Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 delivered plenty of unforgettable moments on the field, and off it as well. Among them was the controversy involving Punjab Kings (PBKS) pacer Arshdeep Singh and Mumbai Indians batter Tilak Varma, which sparked widespread debate across social media.
Several weeks after the incident made headlines, Punjab Kings opener Prabhsimran Singh has shared his views on the matter. The wicketkeeper-batter, who has spent years alongside Arshdeep in the PBKS setup, defended
his teammate and highlighted the close friendship between the two Indian cricketers.
The controversy stemmed from a social media clip that surfaced ahead of Punjab Kings’ IPL 2026 encounter against Mumbai Indians in Dharamsala. In the video, Arshdeep jokingly referred to Tilak as “Andhere” while making a light-hearted comment involving sunscreen. He also called Mumbai Indians batter Naman Dhir the “asli noor.”
The clip quickly went viral and divided opinion among cricket fans. While many viewed the exchange as harmless banter between close friends, others criticised the remarks as casual racism. The debate gained further momentum after former India spinner Laxman Sivaramakrishnan publicly expressed his displeasure and called for action against the PBKS pacer.
Prabhsimran urged people not to judge the incident without understanding the relationship shared by Arshdeep and Tilak.
“They are really good friends. They can do anything between each other. It also depends on us as to how we take personal things. The two have played so much cricket together, so people should leave the matter to them,” Prabhsimran said to InsideSport in an exclusive interview.
The PBKS opener emphasised that the friendship between the two players has been built over years of playing together, and external opinions should not outweigh their personal understanding.
Around the same period, Arshdeep also attracted attention due to another off-field issue linked to content from a vlog. However, according to Prabhsimran, the left-arm pacer remained unfazed despite the criticism and scrutiny he faced online.
“No. It’s a good thing about his character that he remains the same way in both highs and lows. Everyone knows how hard-working he is. Now that’ll be wrong if you judge his cricket performances because of his life incidents,” he added.
Prabhsimran praised Arshdeep’s ability to stay focused on his cricket regardless of the noise surrounding him and credited his calm temperament for handling such situations effectively.
Despite the controversy, both Arshdeep and Tilak have continued to enjoy success at the international level. The pair was part of India’s triumphant T20 World Cup 2026 squad and remains an integral part of in India’s white-ball plans.
