Smriti Mandhana, the star Indian batter, has made her first public appearance since calling off her wedding with music composer Palash Muchhal. On Wednesday, December 10, 2025, she was seen in New Delhi attending Amazon's Smbhav Summit at the Bharat Mandapam.
Mandhana was spotted warmly greeting India captain Harmanpreet Kaur and her manager, Noopur Kashyap. The heartfelt moment between the cricketers quickly gained attention and sparked reactions online.
Just days prior, on December 7, Mandhana had announced her decision to step away from her relationship with Muchhal, stating her commitment to fully focus on her cricketing career and winning trophies for India. Mandhana and Muchhal had celebrated their engagement earlier this year after he proposed at the DY Patil Stadium. Their wedding was planned for November 23 in Sangli, but it was initially postponed due to her father's sudden medical emergency. Muchhal was also later hospitalized, reportedly due to severe stress. Ultimately, the wedding was called off indefinitely.
In her first public comments since the announcement, Mandhana reaffirmed her dedication to cricket. "I don't think I love anything more than cricket," she stated at the Amazon Sambhav Summit. "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 reflected on her 12-year journey at the international level, which began in 2013, stating that her "madness for batting was always there".
Mandhana also addressed the team's ODI World Cup victory in November against South Africa, describing it as the culmination of years of hard work and near misses. "We were waiting for it so badly," she said. "I've been playing for more than 12 years — 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". She also acknowledged veterans Mithali Raj and Jhulan Goswami, who retired without a World Cup title, saying the victory felt like a collective achievement for all who came before.
A day after her announcement, Mandhana's brother, Shravan, shared a photo of her back in training. On December 9, she was named in India's 15-member squad for the upcoming five-match T20I series against Sri Lanka, which begins on December 21 in Visakhapatnam. That same day, an old interview resurfaced where Mandhana discussed how she copes with setbacks by focusing on short-term goals. "It's pretty easy for me. I have short-term goals," Mandhana said in the interview with Humans of Bombay three years ago. "Say if I feel low today, I will just start writing what I have to work on for the next six days or for the next seven days, in my batting or in my fitness. So once I start doing that, I just forget what's happening. I just focus on what I have to do".
Mandhana had also posted on social media, with the caption "For me, calm isn't silence — it's control," which garnered significant attention and sparked discussions surrounding the breakup.
In the wake of the wedding cancellation, social media was rife with speculation and rumors, including allegations of infidelity against Muchhal, which his family denied as false and damaging. Muchhal issued a statement saying he was moving on and warned of legal action against those spreading false information. Mandhana and Muchhal have both requested an end to the rumors and asked that the privacy of both families be respected.
