The Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 produced several memorable moments on the field, but it also witnessed a few incidents that sparked intense discussions away from the game. One such episode involved Punjab Kings (PBKS) pacer Arshdeep Singh and Mumbai Indians (MI) batter Tilak Varma, with a viral social media clip leading to widespread debate among fans and former cricketers.
Weeks after the controversy dominated headlines, Punjab Kings opener Prabhsimran Singh has now offered his perspective on the matter. Having shared the dressing room with Arshdeep for several years, Prabhsimran shed light on the relationship between the two Indian stars and explained why outsiders may not have had the full context of the situation.
Prabhsimran Singh shares his take on Arshdeep Singh-Tilak Varma controversy
The controversy emerged ahead of Punjab Kings’ IPL 2026 clash against Mumbai Indians in Dharamsala. In a social media video, Arshdeep referred to Tilak as “Andhere” and made a joke involving sunscreen before calling MI batter Naman Dhir the “asli noor.” The clip quickly went viral and generated mixed reactions across social media platforms.
While some fans viewed the comments as friendly banter between close friends, others criticised the remarks and accused the left-arm pacer of crossing the line. The debate intensified after former India spinner Laxman Sivaramakrishnan publicly called for action against Arshdeep. Speaking exclusively to InsideSport, Prabhsimran stressed that the bond between Arshdeep and Tilak should not be overlooked while judging the incident.
“They (Arshdeep Singh and Tilak Varma) 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.
His comments suggest that those within the cricketing fraternity viewed the exchange differently from many observers on social media, where the clip quickly became one of the biggest talking points of the season.
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Prabhsimran opens up on Arshdeep’s reaction to the backlash
The controversy remained in the spotlight for several days. Interestingly, Mumbai Indians later posted a video featuring Tilak walking from darkness into light following a victory over Punjab Kings, with many fans interpreting it as a subtle response to the earlier remarks. Around the same period, Arshdeep also found himself in the news for another off-field incident involving content from a vlog. Despite the scrutiny and online criticism, Prabhsimran revealed that his teammate remained unfazed throughout the episode.
“No (Arshdeep wasn’t affected). 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,” Prabhsimran said.
Meanwhile, both Arshdeep and Tilak have continued to share the Indian dressing room at the international level. The duo were part of India’s successful T20 World Cup 2026 campaign and are expected to reunite once again during India’s upcoming white-ball assignments against Ireland and England later this month.
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