IPL heat pushing Preity Zinta to sell stake

Caught in the midst of IPLgate, actor Preity Zinta, who partly owns the Mohali team Kings XI Punjab, is rushing to exit from it.

Sources said that she is close to sealing a stake sale deal with a UK-based buyer. “It (the deal) is in the final stages and could be closed in a few days,” the source said.

The name of the buyer and the price at which Zinta is selling her stake are not known. Her stake is valued at around Rs400 crore. The actor did not respond to DNA’s calls.

The source said the effervescent actress was apparently shaken by the scrutiny by income tax and other officials, who have come down heavily on IPL team owners after the Shashi Tharoor-Lalit Modi face-off.

IPL commissioner Lalit Modi is said to own a stake in Kings XI Punjab through Akash Arora, who owns the New Delhi-based Netlink Blue. 

Other stakeholders in the team are said to include Ness Wadia and Mohit Burman. Modi’s son-in-law Gaurav Burman, married to his step-daughter, is also said to hold a stake in the Mohali team.

The younger Burman allegedly has links to UK’s Betfair, one of world’s largest online betting syndicates. According to reports, the IPL chief is helping Betfair set up its casino and hospitality business in India.