The backlash against Punjab Kings pacer Arshdeep Singh has peaked following a string of highly publicized off-field social media controversies that have coincided with his team's poor performance in the Indian Premier League. The latest incident involving young Delhi batsman Priyansh Arya is drawing intense scrutiny as fans look closer at Arshdeep's pattern of online behavior.
The video, recorded by Arshdeep on his personal Snapchat and widely shared across platforms like Twitter/X, shows a candid but highly tense moment on the Punjab Kings team bus traveling through Lucknow. While Arshdeep records from an elevated angle, Priyansh Arya is seated next to Harpreet Brar. Arya is on a phone call and repeatedly ducks his head, shifts away, and looks out the window to evade the camera.
Arshdeep is heard loudly saying, "What a cutie, man! Show me your smile. Show me your teeth," before laughing and adding, "Your side profile is really bad, man. Jawline... there's no jawline at all, brother.” Cricket fans on social media platforms have heavily criticized Arshdeep for what they describe as "casual bullying" and "body shaming" under the guise of banter, they have also called this kind of behaviour ‘completely unnecessary’.
Critics note that as a senior international player, filming and publicly posting a clip mocking a young domestic player's physical appearance crosses a professional boundary.
Punjab Kings’ management opens up on recent online controversies
The official response from the Punjab Kings management has drawn sharp criticism for being chaotic, defensive, and internally contradictory. Instead of directly addressing the fans' ethical concerns regarding Arshdeep Singh's behavior on social media, such as the Snapchat mocking of Priyansh Arya or the "casual racism" storm involving Tilak Varma, the franchise has chosen to fully shield their star bowler while inadvertently sparking a completely separate PR mess over his fitness.
Head of Sports Science Andrew Leipus brushed aside the backlash by stating Arshdeep's mindset remains perfectly steady: "In terms of his behaviour, Arsh is pretty much a flat line... He’s a very loud person in the dressing room. That hasn’t changed. He’s very calm.”
Rather than reprimanding the pacer for his specific remarks, Leipus deflected by calling smartphone usage a league-wide systemic issue. He noted, "You look across every team, you'll see guys are sitting there on their phones in the buses... It is a problem, I think." He hinted that while it is something that "potentially needs to be addressed," the team values the "commercial operations" (vlogging/sponsorships) that come with it.
By choosing to completely ignore the body-shaming aspect of the Priyansh Arya clip and the casual colorism of the Tilak Varma clip, the management has left fans feeling that the franchise prioritizes protecting its assets over maintaining a respectful team culture. This silence has only amplified calls from veteran cricketers, such as Laxman Sivaramakrishnan, who are demanding that the BCCI step in to hand down formal fines and enforce strict social media training.
