India’s vice-captain of the women’s cricket team, Smriti Mandhana, made her first public appearance since cancelling her wedding with the famous Bollywood composer, Palash Muchhal. She highlighted that over the past 12 years, the truth has become clear: there is nothing she would care more deeply about than cricket. 

India’s most flourishing left-handed opening batter, Smriti Mandhana, through an Instagram story, announced that both families had decided to call off the proposed wedding with Palash Muchhal. On December 07, she released a short statement on social media, requesting privacy and emphasizing that she wished to close the chapter.

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“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. 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.” Mandhana expressed during the Amazon Smbhav Summit at Bharat Mandapam.

Watch: Smriti Mandhana reveals reasons for cancelling wedding with Palash Muchhal

Mandhana, who will return to the national side for the upcoming five-match T20I series against Sri Lanka, attended the ceremony with captain Harmanpreet Kaur. She vowed to give her best in the game to help the blue brigade win more major trophies in the future.

Watch the video here: 

Smriti Mandhana at the Amazon Smbhav Summit on her first love 'cricket'🗣️

"I don't think I love anything in life more than cricket. I always tell everyone that once you put on the jersey, you just keep all your problems aside and just be on the field because you have a… pic.twitter.com/nsNlKQEohC

— Sportstar (@sportstarweb) December 10, 2025

“This World Cup was the reward for the battle we fought over the years. We were waiting for it so badly. I have been playing for more than 12 years, and many times things did not go our way. We visualized it before the final, and when we finally saw it on the screen, it gave us goosebumps. It was an incredible, special moment.” Mandhana shed light.

“We really wanted to do it for them badly. Seeing tears in their eyes made it feel like women's cricket itself was winning. It was a battle won for all of them. You always start an innings at zero, no matter if you scored a hundred before. And do not play for yourself, that is what we kept reminding each other.” The southpaw addressed.

India’s Women’s cricket opening batter, Smriti Mandhana, confirmed officially that her wedding to the music composer, Palash Muchhal, has been called off amidst the emotional turbulence, as one person stood by her more than anyone else was her team-mate and the right-handed middle order batter, Jemimah Rodrigues.

After weeks of speculation, various theories and reports flew around as Smriti Mandhana addressed the situation through an Instagram post. Later, on November 07, Jemimah posted a cryptic yet emotional post which featured a group of singers performing Olivia Dean’s Man I need.

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The lyrics, “looks like we are making up for the lost time. Need you to spell it out for me.”- which caught action immediately. She didn’t return to Australia for the rest of the Women’s Big Bash League (WBBL), where she was part of the Brisbane Heat's side. Rodrigues took the break to be part of Mandhana’s wedding.

Jemimah Rodrigues shares cryptic post after Smriti Mandhana calls off wedding with Palash Muchhal

Mandhana and Muchhal were set to tie the knot on November 23, but the ceremony was postponed after the former’s father, Srinivas, suffered a sudden medical emergency. Reports suggested that Muchhal was hospitalized due to stress. Weeks after that incident, both shared respective Instagram stories to inform of the cancellation of the wedding.

JAMIMAH RODRIGUES!!! pic.twitter.com/TsDSFlaFM0

— Cricket Everywhere✍🏻 (@Subhamk79241601) December 8, 2025

“It’s been very difficult for me to see people react so easily on baseless rumours about something which has been most sacred to me. It’s the most difficult phase of my life, and I will deal with it gracefully, holding on to my beliefs. I truly hope we, as a society, learn to pause before judging someone based on unverified gossip, whose sources are never identified.” Mandhana wrote on her Instagram story.

“While we think about these things, many people in the world are facing drastic consequences. My team will be taking strict legal action against those spreading false and defamatory content. Thank you to everyone who has stood by me with kindness in this tough time.” Muchhal noted in his Instagram story.

With the wedding of Indian cricketer Smriti Mandhana and music composer Palash Muchhal having been postponed, the public has been speculating a lot about it, and singer Palak Muchhal has come out to say something about it for the first time. In a recent discussion with Filmfare, Palak talked about how hard it was for both families to deal with the situation as the unexpected health emergencies forced the ceremony to be postponed.

Palak said that everybody was facing a very tough time and said, “I think the families have been through a very tough time.” “We would like to believe in positivity at this time. We would like to spread positivity as much as we can. We are also trying to stay strong.” Unverified rumours and speculation about the circumstances surrounding the postponement have been flooding social media at the same time as her statement.

Unexpected medical emergencies halt wedding plans

The wedding that was initially planned for Sangli on November 23 was postponed because of a chain of medical emergencies. On the particular day of the ceremony, it was reported that Smriti Mandhana's father, Shriniwas Mandhana, had a health issue of a heart-related nature and he was taken to the hospital right away. A day later, Palash Muchhal was also hospitalised in Sangli. Later on, he was moved to Mumbai for further treatment and rest.

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Initially, both families took part in the pre-wedding festivities and seemed quite happy according to the videos that had been shared; still, the unexpected change of events made Mandhana’s manager officially declare that the wedding had been postponed. After the announcement, Smriti deleted all posts regarding the wedding on her social media accounts, but only a few pictures remain on Palash's profiles.

To add to the public stir, Palash was also seen visiting Premanand Maharaj’s Ashram in Vrindavan, and photos of his visit went viral almost instantly. Nevertheless, no comments have come from either family about the couple's situation, and the claims of different reasons behind the wedding delay are still unconfirmed.

Shriniwas and Palash have both been treated and are now recuperating well. Currently, there is no new date set for the wedding, and the families have decided to prioritise health, healing, and spreading positivity.