Smriti Mandhana moves on after cancelling wedding; Palash's alleged fling shares first statement amid trolling

Indian cricket star Smriti Mandhana has moved on gracefully after calling off her wedding with music composer Palash Muchhal, which was originally scheduled for November 23, 2025. The wedding was first postponed when Smriti's father suffered a heart attack, and she subsequently decided to postpone the ceremony.

Amid the engagement, Palash's past relationships came under the spotlight. The controversy began with a woman named Mary D'Costa, who had shared screenshots of chats with Palash back in May 2025. At the time, no one believed her, and soon her chats were lost and dismissed. However, during the wedding fiasco, Mary again shared her side of the story, and Palash's alleged affairs grabbed headlines.

Not only was he linked to Mary after she shared chats, but it was also widely reported that he had one-night stands with wedding choreographers who were there during the wedding festivities. Soon, the girls, Nandika Dwivedi and Gulnaaz Khan, dismissed false rumours and slammed social media for dragging their names.

Amid the ongoing Smriti-Palash controversy, Smriti officially called off the wedding. In the days following, she made her first public appearance and spoke candidly about her love for cricket and how she is navigating this challenging phase of her life.

Smriti Mandhana makes her first public appearance since the breakup

The cricketer attended an event in Delhi on Wednesday alongside Harmeent Kaur. Several videos and photos of the same have gone viral.

Speaking to Mandira Bedi, she said, "I don't think I love anything more than cricket. Wearing that Indian jersey is the motivation that drives us. You keep all your problems aside, and that thought alone helps you focus on life..."

She added, "As a kid, the madness for batting was always there. No one understood it, but in my mind, I always wanted to be called a world champion."

On winning the World Cup, Smriti Mandhana said, "This World Cup was the reward for the battle we fought over the years. We were waiting for it so badly. I've been playing for more than 12 years, and many times things didn't go our way. We visualised it before the final, and when we finally saw it on the screen, it gave us goosebumps. It was an incredible, special moment," the Indian vice-captain said.

Meanwhile, Palash Muchhal, her former fiancé, addressed the rumours surrounding their separation and an alleged fling, stating that he would like to move on and step back from the relationship. He also expressed disappointment over the online trolling, clarifying that both of them had faced a challenging period.

Following the split, both Smriti and Palash have unfollowed each other on Instagram and have deleted posts and pictures from their social media accounts.

Amid ongoing drama, Palash's alleged fling, Mary D'Costa, shared a note on her Instagram story slamming and attacking her for being the reason behind Smriti and Palash's split; on the other hand, many are also lauding her for saving Smriti's life. 

On the other hand, Mary also unarchived her photos on Instagram.