IND vs SA: How MBA Chai Wala Prafull Billore is helping Team India win T20 World Cup 2024

South Africa and India will square up in the much awaited ICC T20 World Cup 2024 final today at 8:00 PM IST at the famous Kensington Oval in Barbados. Both teams have performed remarkably well, going undefeated the entire competition. Key players like David Miller and Kagiso Rabada are part of South Africa's strong team, which is headed by Aiden Markram. Conversely, with players like Virat Kohli and Jasprit Bumrah, India has a strong roster led by Rohit Sharma. A thrilling contest is to be expected as these two cricketing titans fight for T20 World Cup victory.

Also Read: Stuart Broad attempts to take 'IPL' jibe at Virat Kohli after IND destroyed ENG ahead of WC final

How is MBA Chaivaala Praful Billore supporting South Africa despite being an Indian?

You've probably noticed an Indian face among South African cricket players if you use social media. 'Panauti' (bad luck) memes have gone viral as India prepares for tonight's T20 World Cup final between IND and SA.

MBA Chaiwala founder Prafull Billore is the one behind the popular memes. Indian businessman Billore became well-known for his unusual tea-selling company, which has a sizable social media following. Originally from Madhya Pradesh, in 2017 Billore left an MBA programme to launch a tea stand with just Rs. 8,000. His business capitalised off immediately, becoming a nationwide chain and a social media hit.

Following a selfie Billore posted with cricket player Suryakumar Yadav, the 'Panauti' fad started. In flight selfies with Yadav were shared by Billore on X (formerly Twitter) on June 21 of this year. When Yadav only managed six runs in India's Twenty20 encounter against Bangladesh the next day, there was lighthearted conjecture regarding Billore's purported bad luck. As word of the selfie spread, jokes jokingly linked Yadav's subpar performance to Billore's "panauti" impact.

Reversing the usual trend, Billore responded to the trolling. He started uploading altered pictures made by users that featured him with players from teams up against India. Before the India vs. England semi-final, he sarcastically claimed to use his "jinx" power against English cricket players Jos Buttler and Jofra Archer in a series of altered photos. After India easily defeated England 68 runs in the semifinals in Guyana, netizens have rallied around Billore's reverse jinx antics.

Now Billore's reverse jinx tendency has spread to the South African squad. Using the hashtag #Istandwithsouthafrica, he has been sharing photos of himself with players from that country and even one of himself in front of the flag. This has sustained the wacky story and the meme momentum.

Now, Billore is being jokingly hailed as a "saviour" and given credit for using his special reverse jinx power to help India get past the semi-final barrier. There's a real buzz as India is ready to play South Africa in the finals in Barbados tonight, and Billore is embracing his newfound meme celebrity. It is important to note that the Indian cricket team is looking to break its ICC drought, as they haven’t won an ICC trophy since 2013 and lost the WTC Championship and ODI World Cup final in 2023.