The Punjab Kings (PBKS) franchise has officially broken its silence regarding the intense social media backlash surrounding their star left-arm pacer, Arshdeep Singh.
Ahead of a crucial match against Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB), PBKS Head of Sports Science Andrew Leipus addressed the media to defend the bowler amid twin controversies involving “casual racism” allegations and a heated online spat with a fan.
Arshdeep found himself at the center of a massive online uproar following two separate incidents in quick succession:
The Tilak Varma Video
A video clip shared on Snapchat ahead of the PBKS match against Mumbai Indians went viral. In the video, Arshdeep was heard calling MI batter Tilak Varma “Oye, andhere” (Hey, dark one). Fans quickly slammed the remark as “casual racism,” with former Indian spinner Laxman Sivaramakrishnan even calling on the BCCI to ban the bowler for the season.
Fan fued
Following a severe drop in team form, a fan publicly urged Arshdeep to stop using the name of Punjab in the IPL because he was bringing embarrassment to the state. Arshdeep hit back aggressively, replying: “People who still ask family for chips and cold drink money are now advising me on Punjab?” – a response that further enraged fans.
PBKS Management Steps In: ‘Arsh is a Flat Line’
Speaking to reporters, Andrew Leipus played down the impact of the online noise on the 27-year-old pacer, asserting that his behavioral patterns in the locker room remain unchanged.
Physical Explanations for Performance Dips
Leipus also shed light on Arshdeep’s on-field struggles during IPL 2026, where he has leaked runs at an economy rate of 9.69 across 12 games. He hinted that underlying fitness issues, rather than social media distractions, were behind the inconsistent displays. “Looking at his body, there may be restrictions that could be a reason for some of his performances being up and down… He’s been feeling a lot better in the last couple of weeks, physically.”
The Larger ‘Smartphone Problem’ in Modern Cricket
While defending his player, Leipus candidly admitted that hyper-connectivity on smartphones has become a wider challenge across all franchises.
He praised the ICC’s long-standing rule of confiscating phones inside the dressing room on match days, noting it forces players to actually talk to each other instead of staring at screens on team buses. “It is a problem, I think… You look across every team, you’ll see guys sitting there on their phones. It’s outside the dressing room where it becomes an issue,” Leipus remarked.
