“Now news channels are also using morphed images” - Preity Zinta calls out fake news amid IPL 2025

Punjab Kings' co-owner Preity Zinta called out two news outlets for using a morphed image of her hugging Rajasthan Royals opener Vaibhav Suryavanshi after the two sides' IPL 2025 match on Sunday, May 18. The Bollywood actress also criticized the news channels, TV9 Gujarati and Republic Bharat, for promoting fake news.

In a video posted by Punjab Kings' official social media handle, Zinta shook hands with the 14-year-old Suryavanshi before interacting with the opening batter, who had slammed a 15-ball 40 in the game. But the two aforementioned channels ran morphed images of the actress hugging the teenage batter.

Taking to X, she wrote in two tweets:

"Fake news with morphed image."

"This is a morphed image and fake news. Am so surprised now news channels are also using morphed images and featuring them as news items !"

Suryavanshi has won the hearts of one and all in the ongoing tournament with his outstanding performances at a tender age. The left-handed batter cracked a 20-ball 34 against the Lucknow Super Giants to start with, but the highlight was his 35-ball 100 as the Royals razed a 210-run target against the Gujarat Titans.

Preity Zinta's PBKS reach the playoffs for the first time since IPL 2014

Punjab Kings. (Image Credits: Getty)

Meanwhile, Zinta's Punjab Kings, captained by Shreyas Iyer, have managed to reach the playoffs for the first time in 11 years. It was in the 2014 edition that the Punjab-based franchise last reached the playoffs. They went on to play the final that year, where they narrowly lost to the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR).

However, Shreyas Iyer and Co. look primed to win the tournament this time. Having won eight out of 11 matches, the Punjab Kings are currently third in the points table behind the Gujarat Titans and Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB). Their last two games are against the Delhi Capitals on May 24 and the Mumbai Indians on May 26.