Preity Zinta beams with pride, winks after PBKS' triumph, hugs Shreyas Iyer as team enters IPL final; netizens react

Preity Zinta beamed with pride after Punjab Kings reached IPL 2025 final by beating Mumbai Indians on June 1. To book a place in the final, PBKS triumphed with five wickets in the second qualifier match played at Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad. 

Social media reaction

The spotlight of the night was Preity Zinta's wink at PBKS player. Social media was quick to respond to this show of happiness and elation as one user stated, “Kaun he ye 19 number ?” The 50-year-old actress even hugged Shreyas Iyer as the team marked their entry into the IPL final.

Another photo shows Preity Zinta hugging and appreciating Punjab Kings head coach Ricky Ponting after the qualifier. A second user wrote, “Preity Zinta’s all smiles, celebrating her match-winner—this final is set to be unforgettable!” A third user wrote, "Shreyas Iyer gorgeous 87 and Nehal Wadhera fantastic 48! It's bollywood Preity Zinta plus cricket Bonanza."

A fourth user commented, “Shreyas was always serious until he met Preity Zinta. Only she could bring a smile to his face.”

Preity Zinta's happiness knew no bounds after right-handed Shreyas Iyer displayed magnificent performance by turning in 87 off 41 balls. Added to his splendid 5 fours, 8 sixes were the stars of the game which made 204 target chase an easy run for PBKS. Notably, the skipper Shreyas, who helped Punjab Kings reach the IPL final for the second time, is the first captain to reach back-to-back IPL finals with two different teams.

With this 50th win in Shreyas Iyer's career, the cricketer became the first captain in the world to lead three different teams to IPL finals. The latest win in Shreyas Iyer's career

The win over Mumbai Indians in the second knockout match of IPL 2025 was Iyer’s 50th win as captain in the IPL. Only MS Dhoni, Rohit Sharma, Gautam Gambhir and Virat Kohli have won more IPL matches than him as captain.