Indian cricketer Yuzvendra Chahal and his estranged wife Dhanashree Verma’s impending divorce has been creating headlines for quite some time now.
The separated couple had submitted a joint plea asking the court to waive their mandatory six-month cooling period, since there were no chances of any plausible reconciliation at either end.
The Bombay High Court on Wednesday ordered the Bandra family court to decide on the divorce of star spinner Chahal and actor-choreographer Dhanashree Verma in light of his future participation in the upcoming Indian Premier League 2025 season, slated to commence from March 22.
Yuzvendra and Dhanashree have been living separately for over two and a half years now and had requested the court to grant them a divorce without having to explore any possibility of maintaining their marriage in a cooling-off period as required by section 13B of the Hindu Marriage Act.
While filing for divorce, the two had cited ‘compatibility issues’ as the primary cause for their split.
A special dictate by Justice Madhav Jamdar instructed the family court to decide on their divorce petition by Thursday, March 20, given the Indian cricketer’s responsibilities in the upcoming IPL edition, as reported by the Bar and Bench.
In the mega auction held recently, Chahal was crowned become the most expensive spinner in of IPL 2025, having a bid ₹18 crore to his name for joining Punjab Kings as their spin bowler.
Apart from the professional commitment, the court also considered their prolonged period of separation and the fact that both petitioners had reached an agreement on the issue of alimony payment during previous mediations.
For information, as per section 13B of the Hindu Marriage Act, a family court can consider a mutual petition for divorce only six months after it has been filed, during which they can attempt to see if any settlement or reconsideration regarding the marriage is possible. However, the Supreme Court had ruled in 2017 that if there is no dispute regarding the settlement between both parties, then this cooling off period can be waived.
On February 20, the local family court had denied Chahal and Dhanashree’s petition citing Chahal’s partial compliance with the agreed terms of settlement between parties.
For the uninitiated, Chahal had agreed to pay INR 4.75 crore as alimony but had only paid INR 2.37 crore at the time of the hearing. The family court also cited a marriage counsellor who stated that Chahal had only partially completed the terms, and hence a waiver was not acceptable.
The case went to the high court, where Justice Madhav Jamdar ruled that the second instalment of the payment could be paid as permanent alimony after the divorce.
The Indian bowler Yuzvendra Chahal and celebrity artist Dhanashree Verma got married in a high-profile wedding December 2020 and went ahead with separation in June 2022, less than two years.
Prior to their divorce, the couple was subjected to immense public scrutiny, with rumours regarding their split and alimony, spreading like wildfire.
In his recent outing during the India – New Zealand final of ICC Champions Trophy match, Chahal was spotted with his new rumored girlfriend RJ Mahvash, and the duo’s pictures went viral on social media.
Now that the divorce has been confirmed, Chahal is looking focused on the professional front to deliver for his new franchise and justify the hefty amount tagged on him. This season will also serve as a path for him to make a comeback in the Indian white ball format.
By: Tulika Agarwal
