"Still waiting to see him dance" - Preity Zinta’s cheeky reply to query on ‘Sarpanch Saab’ ahead of IPL 2025 resumption

Punjab Kings (PBKS) co-owner and Bollywood actress Preity Zinta engaged in a brief question-and-answer session with the fans on X, ahead of the IPL 2025 resumption, on Tuesday, May 13. When asked about ‘Sarpanch Saab’ or Shreyas Iyer, she lauded the skipper for turning things around for the franchise after leading the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) to glory in the previous edition of the T20 league.

The 50-year-old said that the entire coaching staff, teammates, and fans admired Iyer, but her one wish is to see him dance.

A user questioned Zinta on X:

“Say something about our Sarpanch Saab #pzchat.”

She responded:

“We are very happy to have Shreyas lead Punjab Kings. He really is Sarpanch Saab! The team loves him, the fan loves him, the coach loves him….. what more can I ask for? Still waiting to see him dance though.”

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“The synergy between captain and coach was very important” – Preity Zinta on PBKS' decent run in IPL 2025

Preity Zinta has lauded PBKS head coach Ricky Ponting and skipper Shreyas Iyer’s camaraderie as the primary reason behind their promising run in IPL 2025.

A fan asked on X:

“What is the main reason for this year's IPL success compared to the previous seasons performances...?”

Zinta replied:

“I think every year we’ve had a good team, but we’ve lacked good leadership, so a good strategic Captain has made a big difference, and of course, our coach Ricky Ponting has also made a big difference. We’ve also had good coaches in the past, but the synergy between Captain and Coach was very important, which we lacked over the years.”

“So, Full credit goes to our cricket operations team, our coach, and our captain for creating a wonderful environment for all the players to thrive,” she added.

With seven wins in 11 games, Punjab are third in the IPL 2025 points table. They are favorites to finish in the top four.

This is the second franchise where Ponting and Iyer reunited as coach and captain in the IPL. The duo previously helped Delhi Capitals (DC) reach the playoffs during their stint with the franchise from 2019 to 2021, including the final in 2020.

Apart from his leadership role, Shreyas Iyer has been quite impressive with the bat this season. The 30-year-old has amassed 405 runs in 11 innings at a strike rate of 180.80 with the help of four half-centuries.