Family court to decide on Yuzvendra-Dhanashree divorce tomorrow

The Bombay High Court has ordered a family court to decide on the divorce between Indian cricketer Yuzvendra Chahal and actor-choreographer Dhanashree Verma tomorrow (March 20), local media reports.

The decision was made in light of the cricketer's participation in the upcoming Indian Premier League season, the report said, adding that Chahal became the most expensive spinner in the IPL 2025 auction after receiving a grand sum of Rs18 crores to join the Punjab Kings team.

Yuzvendra Chahal and Dhanashree Verma have been living separately for over two and a half years.

They had asked the family court to allow them to get the divorce sooner. They requested the court to finalise their case without having to explore possibilities of maintaining their marriage.

A six-month cooling-off period is required by section 13B of the Hindu Marriage Act before the divorce can be legally granted.  When the couple filed for divorce, they stated  'compatibility issues' as the primary cause for their split.

Justice Madhav Jamdar asked the family court to decide on their divorce petition by March 20, considering that they had been living separately for a long time and had also reached an agreement on the issue of alimony payment during the previous mediation.

On February 20, the family court denied Yuzvendra Chahal and Dhanashree Verma's request for an early divorce, citing the cricketer's partial compliance with the terms of the settlement.

Yuzvendra had agreed to pay Rs4.75 crores as alimony but had only paid Rs2.37 crores at the time of the hearing.  However, when the case went to the high court, Justice Madhav Jamdar ruled that the second instalment could be paid as permanent alimony after the divorce.

The high court referred to the Supreme Court's ruling in 2017 that if there is no dispute regarding the settlement between both parties, then this cooling-off period can be waived.