IPL 2025: PBKS co-owner Preity Zinta says, 'Shreyas Iyer was our first and only choice to lead team'

Punjab Kings' co-owner Preity Zinta on Monday (April 28) heaped praises on her team's captain Shreyas Iyer. The Bollywood star described the 30-year-old cricketer as very down-to-earth individual and incredible captain and also being the team's softest spoken player.

Iyer was bought by the Punjab Kings in the IPL 2025 mega auction for a staggering Rs 26.75 crore. So far, Punjab Kings have won five matches out of the nine played, with one match against Kolkata Knight Riders at Eden Gardens being abandoned due to rain.

While responding to questions from fans on social media, Punjab Kings' co-owner Preity Zinta said, "Shreyas is a very down to earth guy and an amazing captain. He is very tactical and aggressive in his approach as a player, but the sweetest and the most soft-spoken guy. We are very happy that he is leading Punjab Kings and even happier we could get him in the auction as he was our first and only choice for captaincy, therefore, the whole auction revolved around him for us as a team."

"We still have the second half of the tournament, so I don’t want to speak to soon. I hope we put our best foot forward and play to our potential. The biggest plus is how our young talented players are stepping up and showing the world who they are through their play," she added.

One of the user also tweeted a picture of her with former Royal Challengers Bengaluru captain Virat Kohli during the recent match between between the two teams, asking her what the conversation between them was.

“We were showing each other pictures of our children and talking about them! Time does fly… When I first met Virat 18 years ago, he was a spirited teenager buzzing with talent and fire – today he still has that fire and is an icon and a very sweet and doting father," Zinta remarked.

When asked about if she could bring one player back from the Kings 11/Punjab Kings squads of the past, to play this season, Zinta was cautious about her response by saying, "The windscreen is  larger than the rear view mirror so, no point going back to the past. It’s time to look forward and appreciate what one  has in the present and we have the best squad this year."

Another user asked that what has been her biggest learning from the Indian Premier League. The Bollywood star replied by saying, "IPL is that stage where the hard-working and talented shine! It’s probably one of the few places in India where influence and nepotism don’t work, just raw talent, hard work and sheer determination triumph. When talent meets opportunity, then sky is the limit," she signed off.