Meet Prafull Billore: The Man Behind Viral ‘Panauti’ Memes in T20 World Cup

If you’re an active user of social media, you’ve likely encountered an Indian face plastered across photos of South African cricket players lately. These memes, dubbed ‘Panauti’ (bad luck), are spreading rapidly as India prepares for the IND vs. SA T20 World Cup final tonight. But who is this person, and why are Indians sharing his image so fervently? Have you seen him before?

Know About Him

The man behind these memes is none other than Prafull Billore, the founder of MBA Chaiwala. Billore is an Indian entrepreneur who gained fame through his unique tea-selling business, which has amassed a huge following on social media. Originally from Madhya Pradesh, Billore left an MBA program and started a tea stall with just Rs. 8,000 in 2017. His venture quickly expanded into a national chain and became a sensation on various social platforms.

The ‘Panauti’ trend took off after a viral selfie featuring cricketer Suryakumar Yadav. On June 21 this year, Billore shared a selfie taken with India’s versatile batsman during a flight on X (formerly Twitter). The following day, Yadav scored only 6 runs in India’s T20 match against Bangladesh, sparking playful speculation about Billore’s ‘Panauti’ effect. As the photo gained traction, comments were filled with jokes about Billore’s alleged bad luck affecting SKY’s performance.

Billore has now embraced a reverse jinx trend. Amid widespread trolling, he began sharing morphed images created by netizens, where he is seen alongside players from teams competing against India. Ahead of the India vs. England semifinal, he posted several such pictures featuring English cricketers like Jos Buttler and Jofra Archer in humorous poses, attempting to use his ‘jinx’ power against them.

Netizens have enthusiastically joined in on Billore’s reverse jinx antics, particularly after India’s resounding victory over England in the semifinals, triumphing by 68 runs in Guyana on Thursday.