No Yuzvendra Chahal in Vijay Hazare Trophy knockouts amid divorce rumours with wife Dhanashree Verma

Amid divorce rumours with wife Dhanashree Verma, out-of-contention India leg-spinner Yuzvendra Chahal was once again not considered by the Haryana team for their Vijay Hazare Trophy (VHT) quarterfinal match against Bengal. Chahal wasn't considered for Haryana's group stage matches too. Haryana are playing Bengal on Thursday (January 9) in the first quarterfinal at the Moti Bagh Stadium in Vadodara.

The last time Chahal played any cricket match was on December 5, 2024 for Haryana against Jammu and Kashmir in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy. One of the witty characters in Indian cricket, Chahal has been in and out of the senior national team since the 2023.

However, he continued playing domestic cricket for Haryana. The leggie was also in the triumphant Indian team for the T20 World Cup last year but did not get a game. After getting married in 2020, Chahal and Dhanashree often used to show their bond on social media.

Their relationship became the talk of the town after Chahal deleted all his pictures with his wife Dhanashree on social media. In contrast, Dhanashree has a few pictures of them together still.

HCA clarifies Chahal's exclusion

However, a Haryana Cricket Association (HCA) official stated that Chahal's exclusion has nothing to do with his ongoing divorce rumours with wife Dhanashree.

“We have made this decision in consultation with him, as we aim to groom a few youngsters with an eye on the future,” the HCA official told Cricbuzz. “Parth Vats, a leg-spin all-rounder, is the player we are introducing at this stage.”

Dhanashree breaks silence amid divorce rumours with Chahal

Meanwhile, Dhanashree, a choreographer by profession, has broken silence on the ongoing divorce rumours with Chahal. In an social media post, the 28-year-old lambasted the reports as “baseless writing” and “character assassination by faceless trolls.”

“The past few days have been incredibly tough for my family and me. What's truly upsetting is the baseless writing, devoid of fact checking, and the character assassination of my reputation by faceless trolls spreading hate,” Dhanashree wrote.

“I've worked hard for years to build my name and integrity. My silence is not a sign of weakness; but of strength. While negativity spreads easily online, it takes courage and compassion to uplift others. I choose to focus on my truth and move forward, holding onto my values. The truth stands tall without the need for justification,” the post further read.