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Shikhar Dhawan announces beginning of a new innings: Engagement with Sophie Shine confirmed through Instagram
Shikhar Dhawan announced his engagement to Sophie Shine, sharing the news on Instagram.
Shikhar Dhawan has announced his engagement to long-time partner Sophie Shine, sharing the news through a joint Instagram post that put the spotlight on their rings and the moment they decided to make it official.
Along with the photo, the caption read: “From shared smiles to shared dreams. Grateful for the love, the blessings and every good wish for our engagement as we choose togetherness forever.”
The announcement instantly set off a wave of congratulatory messages from fans and the cricket community, with Dhawan’s post drawing massive traction within minutes of going live. While the former India opener has largely kept his personal life away from daily headlines in recent years, his relationship with Shine has steadily become more public over time.
Sophie Shine is Irish and has been based in and around the UAE in recent years. She works as a product consultant, and her professional background has been linked to the financial services space. Shine has also built a substantial social media following, with her Instagram audience sitting in the mid-three-lakh range, one reason the couple’s appearance together have often been picked up quickly online.
Dhawan and Shine made their relationship “Instagram Official” earlier, posting together on May 1 last year. Reports around the couple have also referenced how they first met in Dubai - a detail that resurfaces again after the engagement post went viral. In a previously circulated promotional video, the two had spoken about a meeting at a restaurant, with Dhawan recalling noticing her outfit, while Shine spoke about what caught her eye about him.
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The engagement update arrives more than a year after Dhawan’s public life went through a major shift. The left-handed batter, one of India’s most recognisable white-ball batters of the last-decade, retired from international and domestic cricket in August 2024. He has also been open about navigating a difficult personal chapter following the end of his previous marriage to Aesha Mukherjee, with the divorce granted in 2023.
For now, the couple has not announced a wedding date. However, a few reports have speculated that the wedding could take place in February 2026 in the Delhi-NCR region. Untill Dhawan and Shine confirm it themselves, those remain unverified details.
