Image: Preity Zinta denies fake hug rumor with young RR player / © Hindustan Times
When the visuals of actor and Punjab Kings co-owner Preity Zinta allegedly hugging Rajasthan Royals’ 14-year-old player Vaibhav Suryavanshi went viral, it stirred major controversy online. The image, widely circulated on social media, was quickly debunked by Zinta herself, who slammed the media for using a morphed photo. Expressing disbelief, she criticized news outlets for picking up the fake image as a legitimate story.
Zinta responded on her official social media handle, clarifying that the interaction was cordial and respectful but never involved a hug. She reposted a false report with the caption, “This is a morphed image and fake news”, voicing her disappointment that even mainstream media propagated the misinformation.
The original video, shared by the official Rajasthan Royals X account, showed the actual sequence of events. Preity was first seen conversing with Yashasvi Jaiswal and then approaching PBKS player Shashank Singh, expressing her wish to meet Vaibhav. She exchanged greetings with the youngster and shook hands — no hug occurred.
This incident took place after PBKS defeated RR by 10 runs, successfully defending a total of 219 and securing their spot in the IPL 2025 playoffs. The video featured the background score “Koi Mil Gaya”, underscoring the fan moment rather than any inappropriate interaction.