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Punjab Kings fast bowler Arshdeep Singh seems to be embroiled in a new controversy. In the past few days, both Arshdeep and PBKS have found themselves in the middle of controversies one after the other.
Now, Arshdeep has reportedly been seen racially abusing his fellow T20 World Cup winner and Mumbai Indians batsman Tilak Verma. The video has gone viral on the internet.
Arshdeep Singh’s past controversies
This is not the first time that Arshdeep has faced criticism off the field in IPL 2026. He was always a camera-savvy person, shooting and posting vlogs not only with the Indian team, but also with his IPL franchises.
After BCCI asked teams to stay away from “vlogging” culture, Punjab Kings had asked Arshdeep to cut down on his filming and posting. In another incident, Arshdeep reportedly had an argument with PBKS captain Shreyas Iyer at the airport.
Also read: PBKS issues new statement after internal differences, players’ allegations and dressing room drama
In another viral video, Arshdeep Singh was seen in the team bus with his girlfriend Samreen Kaur. The BCCI had barred all players from socializing with “unauthorized” persons in official team areas such as hotels and team buses.
Arshdeep Singh and Tilak Verma incident
The video was originally posted on Arshdeep’s Snapchat account, but has gone viral on other platforms like X.
The video appears to have been filmed in the lobby area of a hotel. Both Punjab Kings and Mumbai Indians are in Dharamshala for their upcoming IPL 2026 match on Thursday.
Apart from Arshdeep and Verma, MI batsman Naman Dheer is also seen in the video, who is Arshdeep’s teammate in Punjab in domestic cricket.
In the video, Arshdeep can be heard saying, “Oye Tilak, dark. Aaj sunscreen nahi laga kya?”, which translates to ‘Hey Tilak, dark, haven’t you applied sunscreen today?’
– Crictalk (@crictalk7) 13 May 2026
Tilak Verma is originally from Hyderabad, South India. Over the years, there have been many stereotypes about South Indian people having dark skin and being called names based on it.
Verma’s immediate reaction in the original video is not insulting, but it cannot be said with certainty whether Arshdeep intended to humiliate his Indian teammate.
Equation of Arshdeep Singh and Tilak Verma
The two have shared the dressing room several times while playing together for India, with India also winning the T20 World Cup in 2026.
While Arshdeep Singh has mostly been criticized for his insensitive comment, it is also possible that if he were questioned, he might frame it as “light banter” or “friendly banter”.
In the short term, the incident is unlikely to create any rift between the two, at least based on Verma’s reaction.
Next match of PBKS and MI
As mentioned earlier, Punjab Kings and Mumbai Indians are set to play each other on Thursday at the HPCA Stadium in Dharamshala.
Both the teams have clashed once before in IPL 2026. Quinton de Kock’s century went in vain in front of Prabhsimran Singh’s unbeaten 80 runs at the Wankhede Stadium.
PBKS have lost four consecutive matches and will look to stop that slump against struggling MI. MI are already out and have nothing to lose.
Apart from leveling the score, MI also has a chance to derail Punjab Kings’ path to the playoffs.
