IPL franchise Punjab Kings has issued an official statement regarding the recent controversies surrounding their fast bowler Arshdeep Singh.
Till a few months ago, Arshdeep used to be a fan favorite on social media for his humorous behavior and general wit. However, now his own joyful personality has come back to bite him.
Recently, Arshdeep Singh came under fire for making colorful remarks against his Indian teammate and fellow World Cup winner Tilak Verma.
Arshdeep Singh’s controversies in IPL 2026
Like Punjab Kings, Arshdeep Singh has also found himself in many controversies during IPL 2026. First, it was alleged that he and PBKS captain Shreyas Iyer had a verbal altercation at the airport. Then, in a viral video, Arshdeep was seen sitting in the Punjab Kings team bus with his alleged girlfriend Samreen Kaur, despite the BCCI ordering players and teams not to do so.
Arshdeep Singh was also asked by his franchise to reduce vlogging.
However, the latest controversy has come to light regarding another viral video. In a video originally posted on Arshdeep’s Snapchat account, he was heard calling the dark-skinned Tilak Verma ‘dark’.
Arshdeep had to face a lot of criticism for his ‘casual colourist’ comment. Netizens were quick to point out that Arshdeep Singh has been a repeat offender in this regard, having made similar comments against both Sai Sudarshan and Saqib Hussain.
“He’s a loud guy in the dressing room” – PBKS physio
On the eve of PBKS’s clash against defending champions Royal Challengers Bangalore in Dharamsala on Sunday, PBKS head of sports science Andrew Leapse attended the pre-match press conference for his team.
When he was asked about the Arshdeep issue, he said that he doesn’t really follow social media and talked about how the left-arm pacer gave his all on the field.
“I don’t follow too much social media myself, so I know there’s a lot of stuff going on behind the scenes, vlogging and whatnot. I’m not across that. In terms of his behavior, Arsh is pretty much a flat line. He’s not up or down.”
“He gives his best there. We’ve been working together to a certain extent, and looking at his body, there may be some restrictions that may cause some of his performances to be up-and-down. We think we’ve got a little bit of a winner there,” Leapse told reporters at the pre-match press conference.
“He is feeling a lot better physically in the last few weeks. Overall, he is very consistent in his behavior and attitude. He is a very dynamic person in the dressing room. That has not changed. He is not up-and-down. He is very calm,” he said.
“Social media is a problem” – Andrew Leapse
However, Leipus admitted that social media is becoming a problem for young players these days, and said that he doesn’t really have time to deal with any kind of rumors.
“I’m older. I don’t really participate in a lot of social media. You might see my name up there. I’m probably the wrong person to ask. You’ll look at every team, you’ll see people sitting on their phones on the buses. There’s not a lot of interaction going on. I think that’s a problem. I have young kids. I’m trying to get them away from it,” Leipus said.
“On the other side of the coin, there are a lot of commercial operations going on. You have to find that right balance. One of the best things the ICC ever did was take away the phones. When we go into the dressing room, people can start talking again.”
He said, “When you’re in that team environment, it’s not an issue. It’s outside of that when it becomes an issue. I’ve heard rumors, but I haven’t really had time to pay attention to that. I think it’s potentially something that needs to be addressed.”
Also read: Ravichandran Ashwin takes a dig at Preity Zinta, says it will be her fault if PBKS fails to qualify
