27-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Hindustan Times
Preity Zinta's 2014 photo in PBKS team bus rules internet after Shreyas Iyer leads them to IPL Qualifier 1 after 11 yrs
Bollywood actress and Punjab Kings co-owner Preity Zinta has been upping the glam quotient of the Indian Premier League (IPL) since its inception in 2008. Zinta, now 50, still prompts millions of hearts to skip a beat whenever she turns up to root for PBKS. Cameras rarely miss a chance to capture the ebbs and flows of her emotional roller coaster, which is directly proportional to PBKS' performance.
26 May 2025 marked another chapter in Zinta's emotional outflow in the IPL after Shreyas Iyer led PBKS to a top-two finish in the league after 11 years. PBKS beat Mumbai Indians by 7 wickets on Monday night to seal their place in the Qualifier 1 in Mullanpur. Incidentally, 2014 was the last time PBKS qualified for the playoffs on Thursday. Incidentally, the last PBKS qualified for the IPL playoffs; they finished as stable toppers after the league stage.
11 years later, history appears to be repeating itself. And who better than Priety Zinta to add the glamour touch to nostalgia? Zinta's 11-year-old photo with then-PBKS players in IPL 2014 went viral after the Punjab-based franchise got the better of MI.
In the photo, shared by PBKS' social media handle on 20 April 2024, Zinta can be seen with Gurkeerat Singh, Parvinder Awana, David Miller and physio Patrick Farhart inside the team bus.
After the match, Zinta entered the ground with all her enthusiasm and hugged captain Iyer, who remained unbeaten on 26 off 16 balls as PBKS knocked off MI's 185-run target in 18.3 overs.
Zinta was seen hugging head coach Rinky Ponting, another man critical in PBKS's turnaround. She then spent time with MI great Rohit Sharma and owner Akash Ambani.
Josh Inglis (73) and Priyansh Arya (62) smashed the Mumbai bowling and cruised Punjab to 187-3 in reply to Mumbai's below-par 184-7.
Arya and Inglis combined in for 109 runs off just 59 balls for Punjab after Prabhsimran Singh was dismissed by Jasprit Bumrah inside the batting powerplay.
Arya hit Trent Boult for three boundaries off the first four balls he faced from the New Zealander. Arya raised his half-century from 27 balls when he hit Hardik Pandya for six over wide long-on and bashed Jasprit Bumrah for a six over fine leg.
Inglis shrugged off the spin threat of Mitchell Santner, whose first two overs went for 23, while impact player Ashwani Kumar was dropped from the attack after being hammered for 16, in his only over.
Santner finished with 2-41 when he had Arya caught at long-off in the 15th over, and Inglis was out lbw when he missed a paddle shot against the left-arm spinner in the 18th over with Punjab just 14 runs from victory. They won with nine balls to spare.
