When Preity Zinta's Designed KXIP Outfit Left Yuvraj Singh & Brett Lee in Splits

Preity Zinta has always been one of the more involved owners in the IPL. Back in 2008, she bought the Kings XI Punjab, and from there started her long association with the franchise.

But there is an interesting story around the KXIP kit from the season that not many people know. The former Chief Executive of the team, Neil Maxwell revealed on a podcast, Top Order, that Zinta in the first year of the tournament designed the uniform herself, which in the end turned out to be a big blunder.

“I remember going in to try and cut a deal with Adidas or Reebok at the time, and Bollywood actress Preity Zinta, who I’ve got to say was one of the more intelligent [owners] and she learned quickly about cricket and how it operated… but at the time, there was just the naivety. She just said, ‘No, we’re not going with those uniform companies. I’m taking care of the players’ costumes,” Maxwell said.

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“I knew we were in trouble when that word came out. But I said: 'Preity, we can just sign up with a sports apparel provider, and we’ll get it done and dusted, the competition starts in two weeks. We need to have uniforms. Anyway, [she said], ‘No, no, no Neil, I’ve sent someone to Taiwan, we’ve got the material coming, and I’ve got a prototype arriving in seven days," he added.

When the prototype arrived, senior players like Yuvraj Singh, Kumar Sangakkara and Brett Lee were in splits looking at the uniform. Maxwell goes on to say that it was from ideal for playing.

"I’ll never forget the day the prototype arrived. We were literally six days out from the competition, she pulled it out of the shopping bag, in front of… I think it was Brett Lee, Yuvraj Singh and Sangakkara. She was so proud of these shirts, she pulled it out,” Maxwell recalled.

“And I’m not joking if you remember Michael Jackson’s Thriller, the red leather jackets that he wore [it was like that]. It had shoulder patches and zippers on it, the material… the boys were playing in 47-degree heat, and it was thicker than a suit. It had reflector stripes, the kind you wear on the road.

“The boys burst out laughing, and she was so insulted. I remember Brett saying, ‘Preity, look it’s fine. We’ve just got to work out one thing’. She said, ‘What’s that?’ And he goes, ‘just got to work out how to get my arm over to bowl a ball! Anyway, she threw it on the ground and stormed off, and we had four-five days to get the uniform sorted,” he added.