'Incorrect and exaggerated': KXIP co-owner Priety Zinta, coach Sanjay Bangar deny spat reports

Besides Kings XI Punjab’s bad form in the ongoing Indian Premier League, team co-owner and Bollywood actor Preity Zinta has to deal with another issue after several news websites reported an alleged spat between her and KXIP coach Sanjay Bangar following the team’s narrow one-run loss to Royal Challengers Bangalore on Monday. Preity, in a Facebook post on her official page, came down hard on Mumbai Mirror after the publication carried the story, claiming Preity had reprimanded Bangar after the loss and threatened to sack him. In her post, Preity denied being ‘disrespectful’ towards coach Bangar and also refuted _Mumbai Mirro_r’s claim that she used expletives against the former India batsman, calling the story ‘incorrect and exaggerated beyond words.’ [caption id=“attachment_2778686” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] KXIP co-owner Preity Zinta with coach Sanjay Bangar. Sportzpics[/caption] “A perfect example of How Journalists LIE BLATANTLY & should be sued for DEFAMATION,” Preity said in her post and demanded an apology from the author, whom she deemed ‘guilty of slander’. She also demanded the author to reveal the source on the story. Preity went on to accuse the author of the story of sexism. “I’m amazed at the chauvinist & sexist undertone to your article. 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 the record I do know more about the game than you do about journalism. My question to you is - would you have written the same thing if you were writing about another man in cricket ?” Preity wrote. The KXIP co-owner further elaborated on what happened after Monday’s match and said she only spoke to Bangar and team mentor Virender Sehwag for 20 seconds after the game, asking why Axar Patel did not bat. She also clarified why she wasn’t present at the post-match ceremony. Bangar too has denied the claims of the story in a Facebook post himself, and said there was only a ‘usual post match discussion on the match with Kings XI owners.’ “Some reports in the media have blown the issue totally out of proportion by fabricating a non existent chain of events… No reported abusive or disrespectful language was against me,”  the KXIP coach clarified further. Preity has even taken to Twitter to lambast publications running with the story and has put her version of events forward.

A perfect example of How Journalists LIE BLATANTLY & should be sued for DEFAMATION ! For the record I do have... https://t.co/GhN6eaxgif

— Preity G Zinta (@realpreityzinta) May 12, 2016

Thanks TOI for encouraging such journalism. Pls go to my face book page before you embarrass yourself more. https://t.co/diQQfecxoH

— Preity G Zinta (@realpreityzinta) May 12, 2016

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Thank you @daily_bhaskar for being a "Me Too" publication. Shouldn't you investigate facts before writing them ? https://t.co/kO6sFdkBHC

— Preity G Zinta (@realpreityzinta) May 12, 2016

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No point working myself up over nonsense. I used2 write 4 BBC & it was a honorable publication. Everything was verified & double checked.

— Preity G Zinta (@realpreityzinta) May 12, 2016

The Mumbai Mirror story claimed that Preity had ’tore into Punjab Kings XI coach Bangar’ after the RCB loss at Mohali in an expletive-laden tirade and had even threatened to sack Bangar. The story claimed that the team co-owner was upset with the KXIP’s batting order and reprimanded the coach for sending South African all-rounder Farhaan Behardien ahead of Axar Patel in the chase, and blamed him for the loss. Mumbai Mirror also claimed to have confirmed the story from a source in the KXIP dug-out who was present during the alleged spat. “It was a long monologue with a four-letter being used liberally. Everybody was stunned as Preity repeatedly threatened to sack Sanjay. Nobody spoke a word. Sanjay cut a sorry figure which was sad because he was surrounded by young players and support staff he is supposed to lead. It was rather unbecoming of the team owner,” Mumbai Mirror quoted the source. With both the parties involved in the alleged incident categorically denying Mumbai Mirror’s version of events and providing explanation as to what happened,  the onus now falls on the publication to clarify over the matter. Read Preity Zinta and Sanjay Bangar’s full Facebook post below: