Preity Zinta, the ever-charming Bollywood actress and co-owner of the IPL team Punjab Kings, is known for her candid nature and fearless voice—both on and off the field. Apart from her impressive film career, Preity has spent nearly two decades passionately supporting and managing her cricket franchise.
But recently, during a light-hearted interaction with fans on social media, she was faced with a comment that was anything but funny.
On the platform X (formerly Twitter), Preity decided to host a quick #PZChat session with her followers. She cheerfully posted:
“Chillin at home & thought of doing a quick #pzchat ! Are you folks ready ? Let’s gooooo….”
While fans responded with enthusiasm, one particular comment stood out for all the wrong reasons. Referring to former Punjab Kings player Glenn Maxwell, a fan mockingly asked:
“Mam Maxwell ki aapse shadi ni Hui isiliye vo aapko team se accha ni khelta tha ?”
(Here is the Translation: “Ma’am, Maxwell didn’t marry you, that’s why he didn’t play well for your team?”)
The question, although probably intended as a joke, was deeply sexist and offensive. Preity, however, didn’t let it slide. Instead, she responded with a powerful statement that called out the gender bias women often face in the corporate and sports world—especially in male-dominated spaces like cricket.
Here’s her sharp and honest reply:
“Will you ask this question to the male team owners of all teams, or is this discrimination just towards the women? I never knew how difficult it is for women to survive in corporate setups until I got into cricket. I’m sure you asked this question out of humour, but I hope you can actually look at your question and understand what you are trying to say because if you really understand what you’re trying to say, it’s not pretty ! I think I have earned my stripes by working very hard for the past 18 years so please give me the respect I deserve & stop with the gender bias. Thank you 🙏”
That’s a mic-drop moment if there ever was one.
Zinta’s response isn’t just a clapback, it is a reminder that being a woman in power comes with constant scrutiny that male counterparts rarely face. While the question was undoubtedly in poor taste, her answer was a classy yet firm pushback against the everyday sexism women endure.
This isn’t new territory for her. Back in 2016, she took on a media outlet for portraying her in a sexist light, stating:
“Just because I am a woman you presume me to be a bimbo & know nothing about Cricket even though I have been working in this sport and business for the past 9 years.”
For context, Glenn Maxwell once captained the team (then Kings XI Punjab) in 2017. His underwhelming performance during his PBKS stint was purely cricket-related. Since then, Maxwell has found success elsewhere, and in 2022, he married Vini Raman, an Indian-origin Australian pharmacist. His relationship with Preity Zinta was always professional.