The rivalry between Pakistan and India takes no prisoners when it comes to cricket, and it rarely spares you, even if you’re just the admin of a social media account. That’s something IPL franchise Punjab Kings found out the hard way.
The team landed in the middle of a social media storm after posting about India’s upcoming Asia Cup fixture, while conveniently leaving out any mention of their opponents, Pakistan.
The post, which highlighted India’s next group-stage match, sparked immediate backlash from Pakistani fans who didn’t take kindly to the glaring omission. Users flooded the comments section, ridiculing Punjab Kings for selective hype and dragging the franchise over its lack of silverware.
The trolling escalated quickly, eventually forcing Punjab Kings to lock the comments section of the post.
Game 2️⃣ for the defending champions. Let's goooo 💪#AsiaCup2025 #INDv pic.twitter.com/BgeoRfJjMo
— Punjab Kings (@PunjabKingsIPL) September 11, 2025
“Pakistan’s visibility is the same as your IPL trophies,” one user quipped, while others filled the empty space with their own visuals. Check out some of these replies:
Pakistan visibility is same as your IPL trophies
— ZAB (@pak_corrupt) September 11, 2025
https://t.co/t8ga1jSOWn pic.twitter.com/RqMfnGY12x
— Slimboy Fat (@MehmoodMKN) September 12, 2025
This is how punjab kings will post pictures when saim is batting https://t.co/TfN95Dae6F pic.twitter.com/mwlkAU5FqK
— zayn (@ZaynMahmood5) September 11, 2025
India are set to face John Cena on the 14th? https://t.co/p4EzmdMpZE
— Behram Qazi 🇵🇰 🇨🇦 (@DeafMango) September 11, 2025
sharm, dahshat, jhijhak, pareshani
naaz se kaam kyun nahi leytiaap, woh, ji, magar, yey sab kya hai
tum mera naam kyun nahin leyti https://t.co/rSad26D1i9— Faizan Lakhani (@faizanlakhani) September 12, 2025
India is playing against the number of IPL trophies Punjab Kings have???? Should be a fun one https://t.co/uvXhu2smtR
— rameen (@rameenwhile) September 11, 2025
whoever is teaching performative activism anywhere in the world, take a case study quick https://t.co/G740HU9GSL
— Ariha Fatimah Arain (@arihafatimah) September 11, 2025
This is not only hilarious but EMBARRASSING. https://t.co/XPh726punk
— Backward Point Pod (@point_backward) September 12, 2025
Same energy 🤷♀️ https://t.co/4a3TI8h4eS pic.twitter.com/4xNMjKSr5Q
— Misty Sinha (@naive_shrewd) September 12, 2025
Bachpan main mein bhi dewaar pe stumps bana kar ball karwata tha https://t.co/RdgXlzYPbc
— Saad Nasir (@Saad10Nasir) September 11, 2025
This feels like one of those olden days marriages where you aren't supposed to see the bride before marriage and hence did all kinds of drama.. https://t.co/IL6Fa6j1Sg
— Syed Aleem (@aleem_1690) September 12, 2025
A lot of users also pointed out the fact that Punjab Kings has not won an IPL trophy throughout their history, so their opinion on cricket will not be taken seriously.
This isn’t the first time Pakistan has been left out of promotional material. Before the Asia Cup began, broadcasters caught flak for excluding Salman Ali Agha from a poster featuring team captains, a move that was swiftly corrected after public backlash.
This latest incident shows just how deep the India-Pakistan rivalry runs—even spilling over into franchise cricket, notably with this Punjab Kings social media post. With emotions running high ahead of the Asia Cup clash, even a single social media post can spark cross-border banter.
As for the match itself, anticipation is sky-high. Pakistan and India are finally set to lock horns this Sunday in the tournament’s most anticipated clash. But if the online chatter is anything to go by, the battle has already begun on Twitter.
