Many believe that this was a deliberate attempt from MI to hit back at Arshdeep Singh’s infamous and potentially racist comments on Tilak Varma in a recent snapchat video. Arshdeep had labelled the left-hand batter as “Andhera”, which translates to darkness, referring to the latter’s dark skin complexion
Published: May 15, 2026 7:20 PM IST
The Mumbai Indians might have taken a dig at Punjab Kings pacer Arshdeep Singh over his racist remarks on MI batter Tilak Varma, who smashed a fantastic half-century last night in match number 58 of the Indian Premier League at the HPCA Stadium in Dharamshala. While the result did not have any implication on Mumbai’s positioning in the points table, it heavily affected Punjab’s aspiration for a top 4 finish.
Mumbai were asked to chase a total of 201 and despite a no show from the top-order, Tilak Varma’s decisive half-century proved to be the point of difference. Tilak’s knock, alone, was not enough as MI needed a blistering 25 off 10 from Will Jacks to secure a 6-wicket victory and dent Punjab’s play-offs hopes.
The North Indian franchise will now have to win both of their remaining two matches and also hope for other results to fall in their favor. Punjab are slated to lock horns with the Royal Challengers Bengaluru (Sunday, May 17) and Lucknow Super Giants (Saturday, May 23) in their final two matches.
MI post a video of Tilak Varma using a ‘black background’
It has been nearly 24 hours since Mumbai defeated Punjab but what is doing the rounds on social media now is the video uploaded by the 5-time champions featuring Tilak Varma. The franchise used an all black background in the beginning of the 19-second clip which quickly transitioned to a bright screen with Tilak holding all the awards he won after his knock against Punjab.
Open story, view & reply #PBKSvMI pic.twitter.com/KBtOonNWKG
— Mumbai Indians (@mipaltan) May 15, 2026
Many believe that this was a deliberate attempt from MI to hit back at Arshdeep Singh’s infamous and potentially racist comments on Tilak Varma in a recent snapchat video. Arshdeep had labelled the left-hand batter as “Andhera”, which translates to darkness, referring to the latter’s dark skin complexion.
These remarks were heavily criticized by fans across India but Mumbai has given a fitting reply to Arshdeep Singh with their latest video. The clip used some parts of the famous Bollywood song “Channa Mereya”.
The video has garnered over a million likes on Instagram already with more than 20 thousand comments from fans. It will be fair to say that the battle between IPL franchises is no more limited to the field, it has gone digital as well.
