The Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 delivered many unforgettable moments on and off the field. These included the controversy related to the fast bowler of Punjab Kings (PBKS). Arshdeep Singh And Mumbai Indians beat Tilak Verma, sparking widespread debate on social media.
Weeks after the incident made headlines, Punjab Kings opening batsman Prabhsimran Singh has shared his views on the matter. The wicketkeeper-batsman, who has spent years with Arshdeep in the PBKS setup, defended his teammate and highlighted the close friendship between the two Indian cricketers.
The controversy stems from a social media clip that surfaced ahead of Punjab Kings' IPL 2026 clash against Mumbai Indians in Dharamshala. In the video, Arshdeep made a light-hearted comment related to sunscreen and jokingly called Tilak “dark”. He also called Mumbai Indians batsman Naman Dheer the “real Noor”.
The clip quickly went viral and divided opinions among cricket fans. While many saw this exchange as harmless banter between close friends, others criticized the comments as casual racism. The debate gained further momentum after former India spinner Laxman Sivaramakrishnan publicly expressed his displeasure and demanded action against the PBKS fast bowler.
Prabhasimran urged people not to evaluate 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 how we take personal things. Both of them have played a lot of cricket together, so people should leave this matter to them,” Prabhasimran said in an exclusive interview with InsideSport.
The PBKS opener stressed that the friendship between the two players is built on years of playing together and outside opinions should not outweigh their personal understanding.
Around the same period, Arshdeep also attracted attention due to another off-field issue related to the content of a vlog. However, according to PrabhasimranThe left-arm fast bowler remained undeterred despite facing criticism and scrutiny online.
He said, “No. The good thing about his character is that he remains the same in both ups and downs. Everyone knows how hard-working he is. Now if you judge his cricket performance on the basis of events in his life, it would be wrong.”
Prabhasimran praised Arshdeep's ability to remain focused on his cricket regardless of the surrounding noise and credited his calm nature for handling such situations effectively.
Despite the controversy, both Arshdeep and Tilak have continued to enjoy success internationally. The pair were part of India's victorious T20 World Cup 2026 squad and remain an integral part of India's white-ball plans.
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