Sandeep Sharma, an Indian pacer, recalled a sweet gesture by Punjab Kings co-owner Preity Zinta in IPL 2017. Sharma revealed that after he had helped PBKS win a low-scoring game against Royal Challengers Bengaluru, she recommended his name for the Player of the Match award.

In 2013, Sandeep made his IPL debut with the Punjab Kings. In the 2017 edition, he took 17 wickets at an economy of 8.29. He was signed by Sunrisers Hyderabad after being released by the team before the 2018 Indian Premier League. In the meantime, he returned to Punjab for a year in the 2022 IPL.

In the match against RCB at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium, Sandeep remembered dismissing Chris Gayle, AB de Villiers, and Virat Kohli. Axar Patel was first awarded Player of the Match in Punjab's triumph, but the award was later changed to the pacer after a discussion between Ravi Shastri and the team's co-owner.

"We were playing a match in Bengaluru against RCB. And I had taken three wickets with the new ball. Virat, ABD, and Chris Gayle. So, in that match, actually, the Player of the Match was supposed to be Axar Patel, who had also taken two wickets in that match, and it was a low-scoring game. In the last over, he had scored 25 runs [19 runs] and scored 38 runs [in total]. But the Player of the Match was his, if you look at it. So, Preity ma'am was there, and she told Ravi Shastri there that the Player of the Match should be Sandy; he has picked three big wickets," he said on Crictracker.

Sandeep said that he presented the prize to Axar, but the left-arm all-rounder emphasized that those wickets were critical in protecting 138 runs, solidifying the seamer's role in the game.

"And actually, they gave me the Player of the Match. That was one sweet thing. And I actually went and offered it to Axar. But he told me that these three wickets were very important. Otherwise, 138 runs wouldn’t have been defended anywhere," he added.

Sandeep played in IPL 2025 for the RR team, taking 9 wickets in 10 games before a finger fracture ended his tournament.