File Pic: Punjab Kings co-owner Preity Zinta with Glenn Maxwell

NEW DELHI: Bollywood actor and Punjab Kings co-owner Preity Zinta schooled a fan on social media for an inappropriate and sexist question during a fun chat session on X. The incident sparked a larger conversation on the gender bias women face in corporate and sports environments.During the Q&A session on X, a fan asked, “Mam, Maxwell ki aapse shadi nahi hui isiliye vo aapko team se accha nahi khelta tha? (Did Maxwell not play well for the team because he didn’t marry you?).”Go Beyond The Boundary with our YouTube channel. SUBSCRIBE NOW!Zinta responded firmly, calling out the blatant sexism: “Will you ask this question to the male team owners of all teams, or is this discrimination just towards the women?” she wrote.Who’s that IPL player?She added, “I never knew how difficult it is for women to survive in corporate setups until I got into cricket. I’m sure you asked this question out of humour, but I hope you can actually look at your question and understand what you are trying to say because if you really understand what you’re trying to say, it’s not pretty! I think I have earned my stripes by working very hard for the past 18 years so please give me the respect I deserve & stop with the gender bias. Thank you.”The fan deleted the question shortly after, but Zinta’s pointed reply struck a chord with many, highlighting the everyday struggles women face in male-dominated fields like sports ownership.

Earlier in the session, Zinta also paid tribute to Virat Kohli following his Test retirement, calling him a “transformative figure” in red-ball cricket and lamenting the massive void left by the exit of stalwarts like Kohli, Rohit Sharma, and Ravichandran Ashwin.

Zinta’s candid remarks have drawn widespread praise for addressing sexism head-on while also sharing her genuine love for the game.