Mumbai, March 19: The Bombay High Court on Wednesday allowed an application filed by cricketer Yuzvendra Chahal and his choreographer wife Dhanashree Verma seeking waiver of the cooling-off period in their ongoing mutual consent divorce proceedings.

A bench of Justice Madhav Jamdar directed the family court to decide the divorce petition on Thursday considering Chahal's participation in the upcoming Indian Premier League (IPL). The leg-spinner was picked by Punjab Kings (PBKS) for Rs 18 crore in the IPL 2025 auction.

The bench took note of the fact that the parties had been living apart for over two and a half years and had duly complied with the consent terms regarding the payment of alimony arrived at during the mediation process.

Under Hindu law, if the husband and wife have been living separately for one year or more, they may apply to obtain a decree of divorce by mutual consent. However, under Section 13B(2) of the Hindu Marriage Act, a statutory cooling-off period of at least 6 months from the date of presentation of the divorce petition is provided, to explore possibilities of settlement and reunion between the couple.

The Supreme Court, in a landmark verdict in 2017, held that the 6-month cooling-off period is not mandatory, and the court may waive the condition if it is satisfied that there exists no possibility of parties resuming cohabitation.

Dhanashree and Chahal got engaged in 2020 and got married in December of the same year in a private ceremony in Gurugram.

The 28-year-old dancer, Dhanashree is known for her fusion dance performances that blend traditional Indian dance forms with contemporary styles. Recently, Chahal was spotted amongst the spectators sitting next to social media star RJ Mahvash during the Champions Trophy Final. However, this was not the first time the two have been linked together. Last year, in December, a picture of RJ Mahvash with the cricketer from a Christmas celebration went viral.

The social media star then took to Instagram to set the record straight. In a note, she wrote: "Some articles and speculations have been circulating around the Internet. It's literally funny to see how baseless these rumours are. If you get seen with a person of the opposite gender, does that mean you are dating them? I'm sorry, what year is this? And how many people are you all dating then?"

"I have been patient for 2-3 days now, but I won't let any PR teams drag my name into this to cover up other people's images. Let people live in peace with their friends and family during tough times."

Chahal's IPL journey, spanning over 160 matches, has been nothing short of remarkable. With 205 wickets to his name, he is the leading wicket-taker in IPL history, having surpassed Dwayne Bravo’s record of 183 wickets during the 2023 season. His career average of 22.44 and an economy rate of 7.8 underline his ability to combine wicket-taking prowess with miserly spells, a rare feat in the T20 format.

Chahal’s crowning moment came in 2022 when he donned the Purple Cap for Rajasthan Royals (RR), scalping a phenomenal 27 wickets in the season. During the 2024 edition, Chahal became the first bowler in IPL history to breach the 200-wicket milestone. His IPL tally includes six four-wicket hauls, one five-wicket haul, and a hat-trick. Between 2014 and 2021, Chahal was Royal Challengers Bangalore’s go-to spinner. In 113 matches for the franchise, he scalped 139 wickets, a record that still stands as the highest for any bowler in its colours. Despite his dominance, RCB made the surprising decision not to retain him ahead of the 2022 mega auction. Chahal’s resurgence post-RCB was nothing short of spectacular. Representing RR in the last three seasons, he claimed 66 wickets, underlining his consistent impact. (IANS)

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