Smriti Mandhana pulls out of KBC special episode at the last minute amid wedding controversy

A special Kaun Banega Crorepati (KBC) episode was filmed this week to celebrate India’s ICC Women’s World Cup 2025 win, but the biggest surprise was the absence of vice-captain Smriti Mandhana. While the rest of India’s World Cup-winning squad lit up the KBC set with their presence, Smriti Mandhana’s absence sparked a storm of speculation.

One of India’s biggest cricketing icons, Smriti, was originally scheduled to join the Wednesday (November 26) evening shoot, which would have been her third time on the show hosted by the Bollywood icon Amitabh Bachchan.

Smriti Mandhana skips KBC shoot amid marriage controversy

But just hours before the recording, the stylish batter informed the KBC team that she would not be attending, citing personal matters amid controversy over her wedding with music composer Palash Muchhal, reported the Hindustan Times.

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Just days before the KBC episode, Smriti Mandhana’s wedding celebrations in Sangli were postponed. The haldi, mehendi, and sangeet functions had already taken place, and everything seemed set for the big day on November 23.

But the celebration turned into a sudden health scare as the Indian cricketer’s father, Srinivas Mandhana, suffered a sudden medical emergency. He had to be rushed to the hospital, and soon after, Smriti removed all her pre-wedding pictures from social media, keeping only her older posts with her fiancé, Palaash Muchhal.

Rumours explode as Smriti Mandhana postpones wedding

This move left fans confused and worried, adding to the growing drama around the postponed wedding. Rumors claimed that Palash cheated on Smriti, and that's why their marriage was postponed indefinitely.

Later, Smriti Mandhana’s business manager, Tuhin Mishra, confirmed that it was the cricketer who cancelled all the wedding events. She felt nothing was more important than her father’s health and wanted to focus fully on his recovery before thinking about anything else.

Tuhin Mishra was quoted as saying by the Times of India: “Smriti is very close to her father. She decided that until her father gets well, this marriage… is indefinitely postponed.”

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Emotional shock sends Palash Muchhal to the hospital

On the other side, Palash was equally shaken. After hearing about Smriti’s father’s condition, the music composer decided to postpone the marriage for a moment. He is very close to Smriti’s father, and the emotional shock reportedly became too much for him.

The stress affected him so deeply that he had to be admitted for a short period of medical observation. Palash’s sister, singer Palak Muchhal, visited him at the hospital, and later his mother confirmed that he is currently resting and recovering at home in Mumbai.

Palak Muchhal had also requested to understand the situation and respect their privacy while confirming that the families have postponed the marriage.

Smriti Mandhana stays away, but teammates bring energy to KBC special

Amidst the medical emergency, emotional stress, and constant public attention on her postponed marriage, Smriti decided to stay away from the KBC shoot. Still, the KBC episode remained a grand moment.

Indian captain Harmanpreet Kaur, Shafali Verma, Richa Ghosh, Harleen Deol, Deepti Sharma, Sneh Rana, and head coach Amol Muzumdar all attended the shoot.

Videos of the players arriving on set and interacting behind the scenes have already gone viral, building excitement for the upcoming episode dedicated to India’s Women’s World Cup glory.