January 26th, 2009
Riding high on the IPL success, Preity Zinta now decides to take cricket to grassroots level.
The reigning Bollywood actress Preity Zinta has always been more than a pretty face with a dimpled smile. Known for her real-life bravery and philanthropism, the lady now wants to do something for that will especially please the cricket community. Preity Zinta, the owner of the Kings XI Punjab team of the Indian Premier League (IPL) wants to nourish talent for her team and the nation at large starting at the grassroots level. "My aim is to promote cricket at the grassroots level and to nurture new talent. I also want everyone involved to have fun," Preity said.
She plans to hold a cricket seminar and a Twenty20 tournament in Chandigarh and Mohali which will see teams from Punjab, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh and Jammu and Kashmir taking part. The tournament will be organized in conjunction with the state cricket associations and the Punjab Cricket Association in particular. The matches would be played in a league format among five teams - two from Punjab and one each from the other three states. A total of 11 matches will be played in the tournament.
Preity Zinta also made lot of news as she was seen cheering and huddling with her teammates. To this Zinta retorted pertly that she was only enjoying the game in true spirit. The rumor mills however fed on the alleged Zinta-Yuvraj Singh connection for quite some months.
Meanwhile, as the IPL second season draws in, the cricket scene is abuzz with developments. The auction for the second edition will take place on 6th February in Goa where all teams, including Punjab XI Kings will vie for the crème de la crème of the international cricket. Former England skipper Kevin Pietersen and all-rounder Andrew Flintoff are in the maximum demand. Also sought are South African batsman Jean-Paul Duminy and England batsman Owais Shah. Since the cap on maximum number of overseas player has been increased to 10, all teams are interested in bringing the best talent in their side.
