Once again, Indian cricketer Yuzvendra Chahal has made headlines—not for his upcoming IPL stint, but for his ongoing divorce proceedings. Earlier, reports suggested that Yuzvendra and his estranged wife, Dhanashree Verma, had parted ways and filed for divorce. However, the couple neither confirmed nor denied the news.
On Wednesday, a recent development regarding their divorce was shared by Bar and Bench on Twitter.
As per the consent term, Chahal had agreed to pay a permanent alimony of Rs 4 crore 75 lakhs to Verma of which 2 crore 37 lakhs and 55 thousand is already paid.
— Bar and Bench (@barandbench) March 19, 2025
The non-payment of the rest of the amount was seen as non compliance by the family court.
Yuzvendra Chahal to pay Dhanashree Verma Rs 4.75 crore in alimony
Two months after filing for divorce mutually, the Bombay High Court has granted the couple permission to waive the mandatory six-month cooling-off period. The court has directed the family court to finalise their divorce by March 20, considering Chahal's participation in the IPL 2025 season, which begins on March 22.
This decision falls under the Hindu Marriage Act. A bench led by Justice Madhav Jamdar has directed the family court to expedite the proceedings, acknowledging Chahal's upcoming cricket commitments. Both Chahal and Verma had approached the high court, and Justice Jamdar issued the directive after hearing arguments from their legal representatives.
About the Hindu Marriage Act
The plea was filed under Section 13B of the Hindu Marriage Act, suggesting divorce by mutual consent.
According to Bar and Bench, the couple that got married in December 2020 has been living apart since June 2022. It was only in February this year that they decided to file a divorce plea before the Bandra Family Court. The couple also applied along with the petition to waive the cooling period.
As per Section 13B(2), a family court can consider a mutual petition for divorce only after six months from the date of its filing. The couple is given a cooling-off period in order to explore possibilities of settlement and reunion. But, with Chahal and Dhanshree living apart from each other for more than 2 years, the Bombay HC didn't feel that the cooling-off clause applied in this case.
Previously, the family court had denied their request on February 20, citing only partial compliance from Chahal in fulfilling the terms of their settlement.
Alimony Agreement
As part of the settlement, Chahal agreed to pay ₹4.75 crores in alimony to Dhanashree. At the time of the hearing, he had paid ₹2.37 crores.
The family court arrived at its decision after reviewing a report from the family counsellor, which highlighted issues of non-compliance.
#Breaking Bombay High Court has overturned a Family Court decision that denied the request to waive the statutory cooling-off period for the divorce of cricketer Yuzvendra Chahal and Dhanashree Verma under the Hindu Marriage Act.#BombayHC #YuzvendraChahal pic.twitter.com/5hdwLFEtIM
— Bar and Bench (@barandbench) March 19, 2025
On Wednesday, the Bombay High Court noted that the couple had already been living separately for over two and a half years. This factor played a crucial role in favouring compliance with the consent terms, which included the payment of the remaining amount.
The case was taken to the high court, where Justice Madhav Jamdar ruled that the pending alimony amount could be settled as a permanent payment after the divorce.
Dating Rumors and Social Media Reactions
During the ICC Champions Trophy, Chahal was spotted with RJ Mahvash, sparking dating rumours. The following day, Dhanashree unfollowed Chahal and archived their wedding pictures on Instagram, further fueling speculation.
