Indian cricketer Smriti Mandhana made her first public appearance since calling off her wedding when she was spotted in New Delhi on Wednesday. She was seen warmly greeting India captain Harmanpreet Kaur and her manager, Noopur Kashyap.
Both Mandhana and Harmanpreet are in the capital to attend Amazon’s Smbhav Summit at the Bharat Mandapam.
On December 7, Mandhana announced that she was stepping away from the relationship with music composer Palash Muchhal to fully focus on her cricketing career and India’s pursuit of trophies.
Mandhana and Palash had celebrated their engagement earlier this year, after he proposed to her at the DY Patil Stadium — the venue where India clinched the Women’s World Cup title. Their wedding was planned for November 23 in Sangli, but it was postponed when Mandhana’s father was hospitalised due to a sudden medical emergency on the morning of the ceremony.
Soon after, Muchhal was also admitted to the hospital, reportedly due to severe stress. With both families facing simultaneous crises, the wedding was called off indefinitely.
In the days that followed, social media saw a wave of speculation and unverified rumours, including allegations of infidelity against Muchhal. His family firmly denied these claims, calling them false and damaging. Muchhal later issued a statement saying he was moving on from the relationship and warned that legal action would be taken against those spreading “false and defamatory content” about him.