Punjab Kings' toxic social media game backfires after Rajasthan reach IPL playoffs

Punjab Kings' social media game backfired on Sunday after Rajasthan Royals sealed the fourth playoff spot and knocked the Shreyas Iyer-led side out of the playoffs race on Sunday, May 24. Rajasthan beat Mumbai Indians in their final league-stage game at the Wankhede Stadium, sealing the last playoffs spot in the Indian Premier League.

Punjab Kings, who have faced a lot of heat in cricketing circles for the inflammatory use of their social media handle, were trolled by Rajasthan after the latter reached the playoffs on Sunday.

Rajasthan picked up Punjab's tweet, 'Sorry bhai, aaj nahi!' and replied to it with the famous Arjun Kapoor meme. Rajasthan used the viral video clip where Arjun can be seen stranded outside the door while the rest of the guests enter the house. Rajasthan took the mickey out of Punjab, who were knocked out on the very last day of the league stage after Rajasthan finished one point ahead of them in the IPL table.

MEMES HAUNT PUNJAB KINGS

But why did Rajasthan decide to reply to the 'Sorry bhai, aaj nahi!' tweet from Punjab?

As it turns out, Punjab's tweet came in response to Rajasthan Royals' loss against Delhi Capitals on May 1. Punjab decided to troll Rajasthan in a match they were not even involved in because Rajasthan had cracked a joke at Punjab's expense after beating the Shreyas Iyer-led side earlier this season.

Rajasthan had quoted Salman Khan's viral 2014 tweet on X (formerly Twitter), where the megastar had asked: "Zinta's team won kya?"

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Rajasthan used that tweet while posting a video of Donovan Ferreira, who had won them the game against PBKS on April 29. Rajasthan captioned the post: Hold for it..."Sorry bhai, aaj nahi!"

PUNJAB KINGS' SOCIAL MEDIA CONTROVERSIES

Punjab Kings have been dragged into several controversies this season. Their aggressive social media strategy has repeatedly been called out by fans as toxic. Many believe the backlash against Punjab's online conduct is justified, considering the tone they have adopted towards other teams.

Apart from trolling Rajasthan, Punjab also took a condescending tone towards Kolkata Knight Riders after their rain-affected match at Eden Gardens. At the time, Punjab were winning consistently and looked set for a comfortable playoffs qualification. After the match was washed out, Punjab's social media team posted a dancing video, suggesting they were being 'magnanimous' by 'donating' one point to the Ajinkya Rahane-led side.

Ironically, that one point came back to haunt Punjab on Sunday, as they finished with 15 points, one behind Rajasthan Royals' tally of 16 in the IPL standings.

And perhaps that was the biggest reminder of this IPL season - in a tournament as unforgiving as the IPL, it is not just performances on the field that matter, but the conduct off it as well.

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