Mumbai (Maharashtra) [India], April 20: Bollywood actor and Punjab Kings (PBKS) co-owner Preity Zinta has firmly dismissed recent social media claims suggesting that her franchise opted for Shreyas Iyer over Rishabh Pant based on performance-related preferences.
The controversy began when a post on social media platform X alleged that Zinta and PBKS had rejected Pant in favor of Iyer, supposedly stating, “We wanted a big performer, not a big name.” The post further claimed Pant had expressed in an interview that he would join any IPL team except Punjab Kings.
Zinta quickly responded to the viral post, calling out the misinformation.
“I’m so sorry but this is FAKE NEWS,” she wrote, directly debunking the alleged quote.
The IPL 2024 auction witnessed dramatic bids, with Shreyas Iyer becoming the most expensive IPL player ever after PBKS acquired him for ₹26.75 crore. This came on the heels of his title-winning captaincy stint with Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR). However, the record was short-lived as Rishabh Pant was soon picked up by Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) for a record-breaking ₹27 crore, making him the highest-paid player in IPL history.
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