Punjab Kings (PBKS) enjoyed a phenomenal start to the IPL 2026 season, securing victories in six of their first seven matches. However, the franchise's fortunes have since taken a drastic turn for the worse. Enduring a bruising five-match losing streak, the team now faces a realistic threat of missing out on the playoffs entirely. With no room left for error, Punjab urgently needs to win its remaining two group-stage fixtures against Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) and Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) to keep their tournament hopes alive.
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This sudden dip in on-field performance has coincided with intense scrutiny off the field, with star pacer Arshdeep Singh finding himself at the center of a social media storm. The controversy began when Arshdeep shared a Snapchat video featuring fellow cricketer Tilak Varma. In the clip, Arshdeep referred to Tilak as "Oye andhere," a remark that drew immediate backlash from fans who accused the left-arm bowler of "casual racism."
PBKS reacts to Arshdeep's social media Storm
The public scrutiny intensified just a day later following Arshdeep's blunt response to a fan online. When the user urged him to remove "Punjab Kings" from his social media bio, the pacer clapped back, stating he would not take advice from individuals who still rely on pocket money from their families to buy chips and cold drinks.
Ahead of their critical clash against RCB, Punjab Kings' Head of Sports Science, Andrew Leipus, sought to downplay the ongoing digital noise. Addressing the chatter surrounding Arshdeep, Leipus reassured fans and media that the 27-year-old bowler remains unbothered by the outside distractions and is completely focused on going about his business on the field.
“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. 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 told reporters in the pre-match press conference.
“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 added.
There's not a lot of chatter going on. It is a problem: PBKS's head of sports science
Despite downplaying the distractions, Leipus did acknowledge that the widespread use of social media is becoming somewhat excessive in the modern game. He noted that the older generation of cricketers and officials often finds it difficult to comprehend why the current crop of players remains so deeply attached to their phones and digital personas.
“I'm old. I don't really partake in a lot of social media. You can check my name out there. I'm probably the wrong person to be asking. You look across every team, you'll see guys are sitting there on their phones in the buses. There's not a lot of chatter going on. It is a problem, I think. I've got young kids. I'm trying to steer them away from it,” Leipus further stated.
"On the other side of the coin, you've got a lot of commercial operations going on there. You've got to find that right balance. 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. I've heard rumours, but I don't really have time to pay attention to that. I think it's potentially something that needs to be addressed," he concluded.
Shifting the focus back to the field, Arshdeep Singh has endured a relatively below-par IPL 2026 season by his own high standards. Across the 12 matches he has featured in so far, the left-arm seamer has managed to pick up 13 wickets, but he has struggled to contain the run flow, conceding runs at an expensive economy rate of 9.69.