Punjab Kings (PBKS) pacer Arshdeep Singh found himself at the centre of a controversy after a video from IPL 2026 clash against Mumbai Indians, at Dharamshala on May 14, went viral on social media.
In the video, Arshdeep was heard saying “Oye andhere, sunscreen lagaya?” (hey darkness/dark one, did you apply sunscreen?).
India already has a long history of racism, so the comment triggered strong reactions online. In the viral clip Tilak looked uncomfortable, which added to the backlash. Many fans interpreted it as a racist/colourist remark aimed at Tilak’s skin tone and addressed Arshdeep’s remark as insensitive and immature, while a smaller section defended it as ‘friendly banter’.
“Nobody believed me. Everybody mocked and trolled me. Arshdeep should be banned this season and should be paid on a pro rata basis,” Laxman Sivaramakrishnan, the former Indian cricketer and leg-spinner wrote online. Sivaramakrishnan had recently alleged that some of his former India teammates referred to him as “dark boy” because of his skin tone.
The controversy kept growing because Arshdeep later got into an argument on social media with a fan, which reignited criticism. After the backlash, a fan messaged Arshdeep saying “Punjab ka naam kharab matt karo” (don’t ruin Punjab’s image) to which Arshdeep replied “what have you done for Punjab? that you are feeling embarrassed, Singh Saab? People who still ask family for chips and cold drinks money are now advising whether to use the name or not?”.
The reply quicky spread across social media sparking outrage among the fans triggering a debate over the pacer’s online conduct. Soon after, Mumbai Indians fans also started trolling PBKS and Arshdeep online after Tilak played a match winning knock against Punjab in Dharamshala.
After beating Punjab kings, MI uploaded a celebratory reel of Tilak on their official Instagram handle. The video reportedly started in complete darkness and then showed Tilak walking into the light with multiple trophies in his hands. In the background, the song lyric “Andhera Tera Maine Le Liya” line from Channa Mereya song was used. Fans felt MI’s social media admin intentionally referenced the controversy through “andhera” lyric and dark-to-light edit.
A lot of fans online called it a revenge post and admin’s masterclass while MI did not officially address the situation or directly name Arshdeep. It was more of an implied social media jab that everyone picked up on.
Disclaimer : This story is auto aggregated by a computer programme and has not been created or edited by DOWNTHENEWS. Publisher: deccanchronicle.com
