Bollywood actor and Punjab Kings co-owner Preity Zinta has issued a strong statement condemning a morphed image circulating online that falsely shows her hugging 14-year-old Rajasthan Royals cricketer Vaibhav Suryavanshi.

The image, which quickly went viral on social media, appears to have been edited from a recent Indian Premier League (IPL) match clip and has sparked a wave of misinformation and inappropriate speculation.

Fake Photo Sparks Outrage Online

The controversy originated from a video shared by the Rajasthan Royals on X (formerly Twitter), which captured a post-match interaction in Jaipur. In the clip, Zinta is seen meeting players Yashasvi Jaiswal, Shashank Singh, and Vaibhav Suryavanshi, whom she greeted with a respectful handshake.

The video, set to the emotional background score “Koi Mil Gaya”, highlighted the young cricketer's memorable moment meeting the Bollywood star. However, shortly after the video was posted, a manipulated image portraying Zinta hugging Suryavanshi, an interaction that never took place, began circulating widely.

Shockingly, some regional news outlets picked up the fake image and reported on it as if it were genuine, further fueling the false narrative.

Zinta Responds: “I Expect Better From the Media”

Disturbed by the spreading misinformation, Zinta took to Instagram to clear the air. Sharing a screenshot of a misleading news report and a clip from a regional news channel, she wrote: “This picture is edited and the news is fake. I can’t believe even news channels are showing such things as real.” In another post, she directly addressed the media and her followers, saying: “I am so shocked that people can stoop so low to spread lies. It’s disgusting how a simple gesture is being misrepresented. I expect better from media outlets.”