Preity Zinta Ness Wadia (X.com/@ieEntertainment)
The Punjab Kings (previously Kings XI Punjab) have witnessed a prominent resurrection in the performance in the two latest IPL seasons, including 2025 and 2026. Despite losing last year’s final to Royal Challengers Bengaluru, the PBKS finished top of the table and have continued the form in the ongoing IPL 2026 as well.
The IPL team, under the guidance of Shreyas Iyer and Ricky Ponting, is looking unbeatable in the tournament so far. However, it wasn’t the same case for the Punjab Kings two years back.
The franchise’s struggles stemmed from a combination of inconsistent team selection, over-reliance on a few players, and frequent leadership changes. That being said, the excessive owner interference made the matters worse.
Disputes remain a concern among Punjab Kings owners despite team’s revival
Notably, since the appointment of Shreyas Iyer as the captain and Ricky Ponting as head coach, the tables have turned for the team in the IPL. The team looks more stable than ever, but internal boardroom conflicts have escalated between the Punjab Kings owners.
Also read: IPL Team Owners And Valuation
While the team has transitioned frequently, one thing remains constant: the battle between PBKS owners, especially the ugly spat between Preity Zinta and Ness Wadia.
Given the constant controversies that Punjab Kings co-owners have been in, this article uncovers the details about the ugly relationship between Preity Zinta and Ness Wadia.
What happened between Preity Zinta and Ness Wadia?
The Punjab Kings IPL franchise is jointly owned by a consortium consisting of Mohit Burman, Ness Wadia, Preity Zinta, and Karan Paul. However, the Bollywood actress Preity Zinta and Ness Wadia remain the most seen among the all, but never together, here’s why.
The story of Preity Zinta and Ness Wadia’s fairytale relationship to an ugly molestation case began in 2005. At that time, the ‘Veer-Zara’ actor, Preity Zinta, was among Bollywood’s top actresses, giving hits like ‘Salaam Namaste’. On the other hand, Ness Wadia was a business tycoon who consolidated his empire.
Preity Zinta-Ness Wadia Relationship Timeline
2005: The former couple made their relationship official
According to publicly available information, Preity Zinta and Ness Wadia announced their dating relationship to the world. The former pair was then seen making appearances together, holding hands, even at Aishwarya Rai and Abhishek Bachchan’s wedding. Ness also threw surprise birthday parties for Preity.
2008: Preity Zinta and Ness Wadia bought the IPL franchise, Kings XI Punjab, together
On February 20, 2008, in an auction held in Mumbai, the team representing Punjab was bought by the Dabur group’s Mohit Burman (46%), the Wadia group’s Ness Wadia (23%), Preity Zinta (23%), and Saptarshi Dey of the Dey & Dey Group (Minor stake).
Also read: Sanjiv Goenka Reacts After Punjab Fan Directly Teases Him For Wasting Money On Rishabh Pant
With the IPL team co-ownership, the couple looked to take their relationship to another level. Everything looked picture-perfect, apart from Ness' mother, Maureen Wadia, commenting on their relationship. She said, "I don't care even if Ness gets married to a Zinta or a Zebra".
2009: Ness and Zinta’s public break-up
The first blow in their fairytale relationship is said to have occurred in 2009, when news surfaced of Ness slapping Preity at a party. A few months after that, the couple broke up but never spoke publicly about their split.
To many, it appeared to be a mutual decision, as both continued to be business partners, co-owning the IPL franchise, and maintained a cordial relationship. In an interview, Preity said, "Today, Ness and I are still partners in our IPL team... we are friends."
2014: When it all went ugly
It is worth noting that on June 13, 2014, Preity Zinta filed a complaint against Ness Wadia, accusing him of molestation, threats, and abuse.
In the complaint, Zinta explained that during the match between Kings XI Punjab vs Chennai Super Kings on 30th May, 2014, at Wankhede Stadium, “Mr Ness Wadia had intimidated me by saying that he could make me disappear as I was a nobody and only an actress and he's a powerful person. I say that I have been tried to be very normal and nice to him as I wanted peace in my life, but the recent afore-stated incident in Mumbai at the Wankhede stadium has left me shattered and fear for my life."
However, Ness dismissed the claims as ‘baseless’.
2018: Final verdict
Almost four years after the complaint, the Mumbai Police finally filed a chargesheet against the business tycoon, Ness Wadia, under sections 354 (assault or criminal force to deter public servant from discharge of his duty), 506 (criminal intimidation) and 509 (word, gesture or act intended to insult the modesty of a woman) of the Indian Penal Code.
Notably, it was reported that Preity and Ness had put their ugly past behind them. They reportedly crossed paths at a Kings XI Punjab vs Royal Challengers Bangalore match in IPL 2017 and greeted each other cordially.
2025: Latest PBKS ownership dispute
On May 23, 2025, Punjab Kings co-owner Preity Zinta initiated legal action against fellow co-directors Mohit Burman and Ness Wadia in a Chandigarh court, challenging an Extraordinary General Meeting (EGM) held on April 21, 2025, which she alleged violated proper procedures and contested the appointment of a new director.
According to her, she had objected to the meeting in an email on April 10, but her objections were ignored. This major news came when Shreyas Iyer-led PBKS were flying high in the IPL 2025, having already qualified for the playoffs for the first time since 2014.
Also read: Sanjay Manjrekar Calls MS Dhoni Fans Bootlickers, Gives Reason For CSK Downfall
