Punjab Kings co-owner Preity Zinta (Pic credit: IPL)

Bollywood actress and Punjab Kings co-owner Preity Zinta has strongly refuted a viral claim on social media, calling it “fake news.”
The claim suggested that Zinta had taken a dig at India wicketkeeper Rishabh Pant after last year’s IPL mega auction, allegedly saying Punjab Kings opted for Shreyas Iyer because they wanted a “big performer, not a big name.”
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The rumour began after an X user shared a quote attributed to Zinta, supposedly in response to Pant’s earlier remark that he was only concerned about not being picked by Punjab Kings during the auction. “We had both Rishabh Pant and Shreyas Iyer – options we could have taken… but we wanted a big performer,” the user quoted Zinta as saying.
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However, Zinta promptly responded on X, dismissing the post: “I am sorry but this is fake news.” She did not elaborate further.
The original poster did not contest Zinta’s denial but doubled down on Pant’s past comments. “Ma’am, if Rishabh Pant can go on national TV and say anything about Punjab Kings, why can’t we?” the user questioned.

Pant’s statement, made during an interview with LSG owner Sanjiv Goenka, had irked PBKS fans. “Deep within, I only had one tension — Punjab,” he had said. Though PBKS didn’t bid for Pant, their social media later trolled him after beating LSG.
The user eventually admitted the quote attributed to Zinta was fake but stood by his criticism of Pant’s remark about Punjab Kings.