Punjab Kings pacer Arshdeep Singh has found himself in yet another controversy after his video with Mumbai Indians batter Tilak Varma went viral. On Snapchat, he recorded a video with Tilak and Naman Dhir and referred to the prior as “andhere,” which translates to “dark” in English.
Tilak initially appeared to ignore the remark, but Arshdeep continued the exchange and jokingly suggested that the left-handed batter use sunscreen. In the same video, he also gestured toward Naman, calling him the real “noor” from Punjab, with “noor” meaning light. Meanwhile, as Naman explained the meaning of the word to Tilak, the Mumbai batter responded saying, “I already apply sunscreen.”
While the interaction was perceived by some as friendly and humorous, the clip sparked criticism on social media, with several users interpreting Arshdeep’s comments as having racist undertones directed at Tilak.
In the meantime, the incident has reignited discussions around cricketers’ use of social media and the boundaries of online humour involving public figures. This also comes amid a backdrop of stricter guidelines from the Board of Control for Cricket in India regarding off-field conduct.
A week back, BCCI had issued a detailed advisory to all IPL stakeholders, including players, managers and support staff, outlining rules on social media conduct, hotel access, guest interactions, smoking and vaping, display of accreditation cards and adherence to anti-corruption protocols. Yet, Arshdeep has once again found himself in the mix of controversy.
Mumbai Indians beat Punjab Kings by six wickets
The incident between Arshdeep and Tilak happened a day before the game. On the matchday, Mumbai thumped Punjab, winning the game by six wickets. It was Tilak who stood tall at the end of the day, playing an unbeaten knock of 75 runs off 33 balls as the Jasprit Bumrah-led side chased 201 runs with absolute ease.
Punjab, on the other hand, have suffered their fifth consecutive defeat in the league and with that, they no longer hold control over a spot in the playoffs. On top of that, these off-field controversies have made things worse for the franchise.
