Punjab Kings pacer Arshdeep Singh has found himself at the centre of multiple social media controversies during Indian Premier League 2026.
The left-arm fast bowler first drew attention for posting vlogs featuring match and travel moments during the tournament, something that reportedly did not go down well with certain authorities. Soon after, Arshdeep faced fresh criticism for referring to Mumbai Indians batter Tilak Varma as “Andhere” (dark one) in a video recorded ahead of PBKS' clash against MI.
The online backlash intensified further when a fan questioned Arshdeep's contributions to Punjab Kings and urged him to stop using the franchise's name. The pacer responded sharply, saying, “What have you done for Punjab, Singh saab? People who still ask family for chips and cold drink money are now advising me on Punjab?”
Ahead of Punjab Kings' match against Royal Challengers Bengaluru, PBKS head of sports science Andrew Leipus addressed the ongoing discussion surrounding Arshdeep and social media.
Leipus admitted that he does not closely follow social media activity but acknowledged that there had been “a bit of chatter” around vlogging and other incidents involving the pacer. However, he stressed that Arshdeep's behaviour within the team environment has remained steady.
“I don't follow a lot of social media myself, so I know there's been a bit of chatter behind the scenes of various things going on, vlogging and whatnot. I'm not across that,” Leipus said during the pre-match press conference.
He added that Arshdeep has remained calm and professional despite the criticism.
“In terms of his behaviour, Arsh is pretty much a flat line. He's not up or down. He gives his best out there. We've been working together a little bit and looking at his body, there may be restrictions that could be a reason for some of his performances being up and down. We think we've hit on a bit of a winner there,” Leipus explained.
According to Leipus, the pacer has shown physical improvement in recent weeks while maintaining a positive attitude in the dressing room.
“He's been feeling a lot better in the last couple of weeks, physically. Overall, he's pretty consistent with his behaviour and his attitude. He's a very loud person in the dressing room. That hasn't changed. He's not up and down. He's very calm,” he said.
The PBKS support staff member also reflected on the growing influence of social media and smartphone usage among modern-day cricketers. Leipus observed that players across teams are often glued to their phones, especially during travel.
“You look across every team, you'll see guys sitting there on their phones in the buses. There's not a lot of chatter going on. It is a problem, I think,” Leipus remarked.
He also revealed that one of the best measures introduced by the ICC was restricting phone usage inside dressing rooms, as it encouraged players to communicate more with each other.
“One of the best things the ICC ever did was take phones away. When we go into the dressing room, guys can start talking again. When you're in that team environment, it's not an issue. It's outside that when it becomes an issue,” he added.
Leipus concluded by saying that while commercial commitments linked to social media are unavoidable in modern cricket, finding the right balance remains important for players and teams alike.
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