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It was an ordinary Thursday night, until it wasn’t. Multan Sultans owner Ali Tareen decided to post a video on X, ‘apologising’ to the Pakistan Super League management, but with a twist that would make even the most seasoned soap opera writers proud.

Holding what appeared to be the PSL’s legal notice to his franchise, Tareen spoke solemnly about “wanting to apologise” before dramatically tearing up the letter on camera. Cue background music, camera zoom, collective gasp.

For those who missed the build-up, tensions had been simmering for months. In March, he even slammed the PSL for letting the ‘same middle-aged dude’ helm its official anthem year after year. After repeatedly criticising the PCB and PSL for “mediocrity” and “stagnation”, Tareen was issued a legal notice by the league, threatening the suspension of his franchise and his future as a team owner. But instead of a settlement, we got a cinematic Ali Tareen moment that no one saw coming.

Naturally, the internet lit up with memes.

‘Let him cook’ — they said

One of the first reactions set the tone with a simple verdict.

Users followed up with memes of Larry David asking, “Can I apologise for the apology?” and hamsters whispering, “Hold up, let him cook.”

Meanwhile, some fans couldn’t resist the creative edit route.

Apologies, but make them savage

Then came the genre of tweets that can only be described as “apologies with personality.”

A user compared the whole thing to that moment an Indigenous Maori lawmaker protested with a haka in parliament.

The serious crowd enters the chat

Of course, amid the memes came the think-pieces in tweet form. Several users sided with Tareen, calling out the PCB’s handling of criticism.

A user summed it up with true sportsman spirit.

A league of their own (literally)

Behind all the memes and moral support, though, lies a more serious issue — the strained relationship between PSL franchise owners and the board. Multan Sultans later clarified that the notice wasn’t a termination, but it did threaten a lifetime ban for Tareen. The franchise defended his statements as “constructive criticism,” arguing that silencing feedback isn’t the way to build a stronger league.

Meanwhile, PCB officials maintain they were simply “upholding professional standards.”