India cricketer Yuzvendra Chahal and his estranged wife Dhanasree Verma’s plea was allowed by the Bombay High Court, which waived the mandatory six-month cooling-off period after a divorce plea is filed. The court also directed the family court to decide their divorce plea by Thursday. The reason behind putting the matter on a fast track was Chahal’s IPL commitments.
A single bench of Justice Madhav Jamdar said Chahal would not be available from March 21 as he has to participate in the upcoming IPL 2025, which starts on March 22.
Chahal and Verma filed a divorce plea in a family court here on February 5 this year. They submitted a petition mutually seeking the waiver of the cooling-off period as their divorce was by mutual consent.
However, the family court on February 20 refused to waive the same. The duo then challenged the family court’s order in the high court. Under the Hindu Marriage Act, every couple has to undergo the six-month cooling-off period before they are granted divorce.
Justice Jamdar of the high court allowed the petition.
“As the petitioner No 1 (Chahal) is a participant of IPL, the advocate informs that he may not be available post March 21. The family court is hence requested to decide their divorce plea by tomorrow (March 20),” HC said.
Chahal ready to justify ₹18 Crore price tag in PBKS
Chahal, who has previously represented Mumbai Indians, Royal Challengers Bengaluru, and Rajasthan Royals, was picked up by the Punjab Kings for a whopping ₹18 crore in the mega auctions. This is the highest amount paid to any spinner in the history of IPL.
The leg-spinner is one of the leading wicket taker of the IPL with 205 wickets. He is in fact the only cricketer to take more than 200 wickets in the league.
“I’ve got four variations (leg-spinner, two forms of googlies, flipper). I trust them,” he told Hindustan Times. “The most important thing is belief. On the ground, how do you respond to match situations is what matters. That’s where you decide when to go for wickets and when to stop the runs.
“I’ve always had this belief, being mentally very strong. When you don’t believe in yourself, how will others do? Whether I am bowling the first over or the 20th, you have to think right…stay in the present.”
Chahal will play his first match in IPL 202 when PBKS start their campaign against Gujarat Titans on March 25.