Preity Zinta’s 2014 photo with Kings XI Punjab players goes viral after PBKS confirm IPL 2025 Qualifier 1 [In Picture]
Punjab Kings (PBKS) co-owner Preity Zinta's old picture from 2014 with Kings XI Punjab (franchise's former name) players is doing rounds on social media after the team confirmed their spot in Qualifier 1 of IPL 2025. PBKS sealed a top-two finish with a win over Mumbai Indians (MI) in their final league game.
An 11-year-old photo, which was shared by the franchise, is now going viral. It was a picture from the 2014 season when Punjab had last made it to the playoffs, before the 2025 season. Preity Zinta was seen in the team bus with players Gurkeerat Singh, Parvinder Awana, David Miller, and physio Patrick Farhart.
"Gurkeerat, Miller, Awana, Preity Zinta & Physio Patrick after the win on Friday. Chalo sheron. Aaj bhi dahadna hain!," the post was captioned.
They had played the finals in 2014 but lost to Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR). Punjab are therefore still on the hunt for their maiden IPL trophy, and 2025 could very well be their year.
Preity Zinta hugs skipper Shreyas Iyer as PBKS seal top two finish
It has been an extraordinary season for PBKS, who have been among the top teams this year. They beat MI in their last league game to seal a top-two finish and confirm their spot in the first qualifier.
Batting first, Mumbai posted a total of 184/7 on the board. In reply, PBKS made light work of the target, chasing it down with much ease in just 18.3 overs in the end with seven wickets remaining as well.
Skipper Shreyas Iyer remained unbeaten on 26 off 16 balls to guide them over the line. As the game was done, Preity Zinta entered the ground in joy and hugged Shreyas, as it was a significant win. She also hugged head coach Ricky Ponting, who has been equally important to their turnaround in fortunes this year.
Punjab are at the top of the table with nine wins, four defeats, and 19 points from 14 matches. They will face either Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) or Gujarat Titans (GT) in the first qualifier on Thursday, May 29.