According to the Kings XI Punjab co-owner Preity Zinta, every year problems that the Indian Premier league faces “do affect” the franchise as a brand and its business as the lucrative league has become some sort of a “whipping boy”.
“Yes, it does affect the brand and it is unfair to the owners. It affects our business as every year there is some controversy or some rumours that come up. I believe at one level IPL has become a whipping boy for many,” Zinta told PTI during an interaction on the issue of Maharashtra drought that led to shifting of 13 matches reports the Indian Express.
The credibility of the league stooped to a certain low in the year 2013 when it was hit by the infamous spot-fixing scandal. Allegedly, three Rajasthan Royals cricketers including former Indian player Sreesanth were involved in the ignominious saga that rocked the IPL hard.
In 2014, the first half of the league had to be held in the United Arab Emirates due to the Loksabha Elections in the country. The next year saw a tumultuous turn of events as Chennai Super Kings and Rajasthan Royals, two of the major franchises, were suspended for two years for their alleged involvement in the infamous spot-fixing scandal after the completion of the 2015 edition of the IPL.
Controversies have been unfair to the league
The actress with the dimpled smile rues the fact that the controversies have been unfair to the league as it has not only provided a platform for the emerging talent to express themselves but also paved the way for the other franchise-based leagues in other sports in the country.
She said, “Thanks to the IPL, we now have a Kabaddi League, the ISL, the Badminton League, the Hockey league (HIL).” She has made one thing clear that she has complete trust in the judiciary but scrutinized those who have filed PIL regarding usage of water to maintain stadiums in the drought-hit Maharashtra.
The actress said, “I have complete respect for the judiciary. But I have a question as to what all those people who have filed PIL done to resolve this crisis in Maharashtra. Let me tell you that I have worked extensively in a Maharashtra village for the well-being of elderly people. This is not as KXIP owner or as an actress but it is as Preity the person that I am. This is my responsibility towards the society,”
His team hasn’t been off to a great start this season as they have only managed to win one game so far. Last year too, they didn’t perform that well. However, their co-owner doesn’t seem to be too perturbed with the performance and is confident that they will do better than the last year.
Defending his boys, she said that they stuck to their core team despite last year’s performance as this was the same group that got them in the final in 2014. She sounded quite optimistic about his team’s chances this year.
Curious about the biopic on Dhoni
When quipped about the upcoming biopics on the current India limited-overs skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni and former captain Mohammed Azharuddin, the Bollywood beauty said that she is eagerly waiting to watch the one featuring Sushant Singh Rajput as Dhoni.
She said before signing off,“I am curious about the biopic on Dhoni as I know him personally. It happens that if you know a famous person, you want to know more about his life. Azharuddin I don’t know him personally but I must confess that I heard a song of the movie ‘Azhar’ and found it to be really nice. So I won’t mind watching Azhar also.”
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