'Panga na lo': RR's brutal reply after knocking PBKS out of IPL 2026 playoffs; full rivalry timeline from Salman Khan tweet

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'Panga na lo': RR's brutal reply after knocking PBKS out of IPL 2026 playoffs; full rivalry timeline from Salman Khan tweet originally appeared on Cricket News. Add Cricket News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

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KEY TAKEAWAYS:

  • Rajasthan Royals and Punjab Kings exchanged viral social media jibes across several weeks.
  • A 2014 Salman Khan tweet became the unlikely thread connecting all three exchanges.
  • Rajasthan had the last laugh, knocking Punjab out of the IPL 2026 playoffs entirely.

Rajasthan Royals win the meme war after knocking Punjab Kings out of IPL 2026

To understand the full arc of one of IPL 2026's most entertaining social media feuds, you need to go back over a decade.

In 2014, Bollywood superstar Salman Khan posted a tweet directed at Punjab Kings co-owner, Preity Zinta, asking, "Zinta's team won kya?"

It was a casual, throwaway message that nobody could have guessed would one day become ammunition in a franchise social media war.

But that single line has now triggered a three-chapter exchange between Rajasthan Royals and Punjab Kings, full of callbacks, comebacks, and perfectly timed humour.

MORE: Who will play Eliminator in IPL 2026 playoffs?

Chapter One: RR draw first blood against PBKS

On April 28, Rajasthan Royals defeated Punjab Kings on the field and wasted no time making their feelings known off it. The franchise posted a video featuring Donovan Fereira saying, "Sorry bhai, aaj nahi". 

Punjab Kings fans were left with little to say. Rajasthan had the points, the momentum, and now the meme.

Chapter Two: Punjab Kings hit back

Then came May 1, and the tables turned. RR faced Delhi Capitals, and a win would have sent them soaring above PBKS to the top of the standings. But they lost.

PBKS, sensing their moment, responded with surgical precision, flipping Rajasthan's own joke back at them with a tweet reading "Sorry bhai, aaj nahi", borrowing the exact phrase that had been used against them days earlier. 

Chapter Three: Rajasthan Royals have the last laugh

But sport has a way of settling social media arguments. On May 24, in their final league stage match, RR beat Mumbai Indians, and that result did far more than just secure their own playoff berth.

It mathematically eliminated PBKS from the top four altogether. Rajasthan's response was immediate. They posted a clip featuring Arjun Kapoor with a simple, devastating caption: "Panga na lo." 

MORE: Vaibhav Sooryavanshi decodes mystery of his viral 'A' hand gesture after destroying LSG

The Cricket News Opinion: Franchise rivalry at its peak

Cricket has always been more than just what happens on the pitch, and this back-and-forth between Rajasthan Royals and Punjab Kings is exactly the kind of storytelling that makes franchise cricket so watchable.

The exchanges were witty, well-timed, and rooted in actual match results, not manufactured drama. Both teams played the game well.

Rajasthan just happened to play it better in the end, both with the bat and on social media.

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