I took eight months off from movies, it suddenly became 18 - Preity Zinta : Bollywood News

What unnerved her a little were the questions after Pakistani cricketers didnt get picked at the auctions. It was uncomfortable when we were questioned about a business decision. And it could have hampered the whole tournament, she says.

She wasnt a complete cricket dummy before Rajasthan Royals. My father was a huge cricket fan. He loved Viv Richards. We had only one TV in the hall, and Dad monopolised it. I began watching cricket because it would be the only thing on TV when matches were on, she says.

She is now married into football-madness and her insights into IPL come from a direct comparison with the English Premier League, something the London-born Kundra has followed intently. The way it is structured, it wont take time for local loyalties to take root, or even for hooliganism to pick up, she says.

Kundra lets his charismatic wife shine in the limelight. For me, its just another business. Shes very emotionally attached to the team. Shell rush to injured players and ask if they need a bandage like it happened when Kamran twisted his shin last year. Shes more the mother to the team, says Kundra. Complete with the grit and the tears. When we lost to KKR last year, I went into the locker-room, put up a brave front and told them better luck next time. And I came out and burst out crying, she says.

Remind her that the Royals were impregnable in IPL 1; she spits thrice to ward off ill-luck. I had a black Persian cat all my life, so I was never superstitious. But now I am, she says. Her strange pre-match enforcement: Everyone has to sit with their legs crossed while watching the match.

Shetty knows the next two months will be demanding - she will be travelling with the team for every game. She says she expects spells of disappointment, ecstasy, boredom and exhaustion, in equal parts. And shell tan four shades deep if she keeps out in the sun, she reckons.

What about movies? She watched My Name Is Khan with Kundra recently. She mixes with the film folk often, but has come a long way from being known as the Chura ke dil mera-glamour girl. Her first co-star is now a rival on the cricket field. Shah Rukh (Khan)s a self-made man. Hes seen me grow in this industry and Ill always respect him. We both want our teams to win, but theres no animosity, she says, bearing no grudges. Not even for being flung from the top of a building, on screen, in Baazigar.

She happily discusses eye-candy with Kundra -Shaun Taits cute, Smith young and talented, Yusuf fiery and raw and Jhunjhunwala dependable. But crickets put away at home. Dinner-table conversations are strictly about dinner. And then tomorrows dinner. Raj is a Punjabi and you know what food means to them, she says with a laugh.

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"I took eight months off from movies, it suddenly became 18" - Preity Zinta