Not pretty to see Zinta abuse Kings XI Punjab's coach

Preity Zinta may be passionate about cricket and love the sport enough to co-own an IPL team with former beau Ness Wadia, but if her off-field demeanour is anything to go by, there's little that is sporting in the Bollywood diva.

Zinta has reportedly used extremely foulmouthed language laced with expletives in an altercation with her team's coach, Sanjay Bangar of Kings XI Punjab, for an ostensibly bad batting order decision.

As per this Mumbai Mirror report, "Preity took exception to Bangar's decision to send Farhaan Behardien ahead of Axar Patel and blamed the coach for the team's loss. Preity, upset with Bangar's choice of batting order in Monday's cliff-hanger that left her team languishing at the bottom of the Indian Premier League table, stormed the team dug-out and lashed out at the coach in the presence of players and support staff."

Kings XI Punjab is at the bottom of the ladder and that one-run-margin loss to Royal Challengers Bangalore in Mohali on Monday had predictably thrown Zinta offguard. However, instead of a private airing of concerns and misgivings, Zinta chose the team's backroom to proclaim her frustrations.

It's rather ironical that Zinta, who is fighting a justified battle against ex-finance Ness Wadia for abuse and public mishandling, would come close to almost aping his misdemeanour and humiliate Sanjay Bangar for a snap decision that didn't immediately pay off. Bangar, who is respected by the likes of Virat Kohli, Ajinkya Rahane and Cheteshwar Pujara, had to bear the brunt of his team's defeat by a narrow margin.

"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," the report quoted a source who witnessed the entire incident.

At a time when we are crying "sexism" and rightly so at every act of indiscretion on the part of men, why should obnoxious behaviour on the part of women be counted any less unacceptable? Preity, who is at most a cricket buff and certainly not a player, must understand that win and loss are both part of the game and she must not act as the deal-breaker by playing spoilt sport.

Owning it is risking it, especially in this you-win-some-you-lose-some Indian Premier League of extraordinarily ungentle men and women, as Preity must learn.