IPL 2025: Preity Zinta moves court against Punjab Kings' co-owners Ness Wadia and Mohit Burman; Here's why

Bollywood star and co-owner of the Punjab Kings (PBKS) IPL franchise, Preity Zinta, has taken her concerns to the Chandigarh district court. She’s challenging the legality of the Extraordinary General Meeting (EGM) held on April 21, 2025, by KPH Dream Cricket Private Limited, the company that owns the PBKS team.

Zinta, who serves as one of the directors and holds a 23 percent stake in the company, has filed a civil suit claiming that the EGM was called and conducted in violation of the Companies Act, 2013, as well as secretarial standards. The court has responded by issuing notices to the involved parties—KPH Dream Cricket Private Limited and her co-directors, Mohit Burman and Ness Wadia. A hearing is set for May 27, where they will discuss the request for an interim injunction.

With the help of her lawyer, Sangram Singh Saron, Zinta argues that Burman unlawfully conducted the EGM with Wadia’s backing, despite her objections sent via email on April 10. She contends that the meeting didn’t follow the correct procedures, particularly concerning the election of the chairperson.

In her petition, Zinta states that when the meeting began, she and fellow director Karan Paul raised objections to Ness Wadia being appointed as chairperson. They referenced Principle 5.1 of Secretarial Standards, which stipulates that directors should elect a chairperson from among themselves if none has been pre-designated. Zinta and Paul proposed that one of them take on the role, resulting in a split vote among the four directors present.

Despite the ongoing deadlock, Burman and Wadia went ahead with the meeting and reportedly appointed Muneesh Khanna as an additional non-executive director. Zinta argues that this move violates the company’s Articles of Association and goes against corporate governance standards.

Zinta is asking the court to stop the company and the other directors from acting on any resolutions made during the disputed EGM. She’s also seeking an injunction to prevent Khanna from serving as a director and wants to put a hold on any further board or general meetings until both she and Paul are involved, especially while the civil suit is still active in the Chandigarh court.

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